China and Russia have launched a mass joint drill in the South China Sea in a bid to strengthen Sino-Russian naval cooperation, Russian state news agency Itar-Tass reported Tuesday.
Moscow and Beijing have sought to display a tightening of ties as Russia’s annexation of Crimea and China’s expanded claims to South China Sea waters have drawn condemnation from the West. A U.N.-backed tribunal ruled against China’s claims for expanded dominion over the South China Sea in July.
The two countries kicked off an eight-day exercise in the sea regardless, focusing on “seizing and controlling” it, Chinese naval spokesman Liang Yang said.
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Source: Newsweek
