The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that Russia and China have completed their joint military exercises in the Sea of Japan, amidst escalating tensions with Western countries.

The relationship between the two neighboring nations, united in their desire to counter American dominance, has seen a military convergence since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which China refrained from condemning.

In recent months, China and Russia have conducted several military exercises to enhance coordination between their armed forces.

In March, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in the Kremlin, and the two leaders expressed their determination to conduct “regular joint patrols” to deepen mutual trust.

The Russian army stated in a press release that the “Russian-Chinese Naval Interaction 2023” exercises concluded in the Sea of Japan. During the drills, which took place from Thursday to Sunday, approximately twenty combat training sessions were conducted, including joint artillery strikes on maritime, coastal, and aerial targets.

In June, China and Russia conducted a joint military air patrol over the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan, prompting South Korea to deploy fighter jets as a precautionary measure.

This marks the sixth such joint exercise conducted by Beijing and Moscow in the region since 2019.

At the beginning of July, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu called for enhancing maritime military cooperation with Russia during a meeting in Beijing with a senior Russian officer.