Chinese navy enters the Sea of Okhotsk for 1st time

石家庄 / Shijiazhuang – 116 Type 051C or Luzhou class destroyer

Posted September. 19, 2017 07:36,   Updated September. 19, 2017 08:37

Chinese navy entered the Sea of Okhotsk in the northern part of Japan for the first time. Chinese media reported that China and Russia began joint drills from Monday off the Russian port of Vladivostok. A five-day joint drill will be conducted on the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan from Friday. The first joint military exercise between China and Russia near Japan is gathering attentions, while the strategic platforms of the U.S. military are being deployed on the Korean Peninsula in response to the North’s nuclear and missile provocations.

Chinese naval vessels entered the East Sea of South Korea for the Joint Sea 2017 drill last Saturday. Chinese cutting edge fleets consisted of missile destroyer Shijiazhuang, missile frigate Daqing, replenishment ship Dongpinghu participated in the exercise. Russian and Chinese navy will conduct joint drills involving submarine rescue, antiaircraft and antisubmarine.

The Sea of Okhotsk is located near the Kuril Islands, where the territory dispute between Russia and Japan took place. Some argued that the joint drill aimed at Japan as the exercise began on Sept. 18, the date of Manchurian Incident, which China also believes the Sino-Japanese War began on the day. It appears that the two countries attempt to show their close relations against the U.S., Japan and South Korea as tension on the Korean Peninsula has skyrocketed.

Wan-Jun Yun zeitung@donga.com

Original post: donga.com