Jiang Bin, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense

China-Russia military cooperation follows the principles of non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party. It plays an important role in safeguarding the two nations' sovereignty and security and upholding international and regional peace and stability, Jiang Bin, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND), said on Friday.

We hope that relevant parties can view China-Russia military cooperation objectively and rationally, and stop making groundless speculation and cease smearing and hyping, Jiang said, in response to a question about some analysts suggesting that the recent joint exercise and maritime patrol between China and Russia coincided with a series of joint exercises conducted by the US and its allies, showing that China and Russia are committed to reshaping the West-dominated world order. 

Recently, China and Russia conducted Exercise Joint Sea 2026 in the waters and airspace near Qingdao. The participating troops from the two sides carried out drills on multiple subjects including joint reconnaissance and air and missile defense, and successfully accomplished all tasks, Jiang said. 

Currently, the two sides have transitioned to a joint maritime patrol. These activities are arrangements within the annual cooperation plan between the Chinese and Russian militaries, which are aimed at strengthening capabilities of the two militaries in jointly dealing with maritime security threats. They are not related to the current international or regional situation, the spokesperson noted.