On August 20, the Chinese and Russian navies concluded their fifth joint patrol in the central Pacific Ocean, involving destroyers and aircraft, according to a statement released by Russia’s Pacific Fleet. The 15-day deployment aimed primarily to strengthen naval cooperation between the two sides, as well as to monitor waters near their coasts and protect the economic activities of both Russia and China.
After the People’s Liberation Army Navy and the Russian Navy wrapped up the maritime phase of the Joint Sea 2025 exercise in early August, three ships departed Vladivostok for a new joint patrol in the Asia-Pacific region, covering a total of 6,000 nautical miles. It is worth noting that the first such patrol took place in 2021, and has since become part of a standing coordination calendar.
This fifth iteration featured the participation of the destroyer Admiral Tributs (564) of the Pacific Fleet, the destroyer Shaoxing (134), and the supply ship Qiandaohu (886) of the PLAN. According to the information released, the vessels carried out activities including anti-submarine warfare operations, along with flights from their embarked air wings. In addition, the deployment featured air defense drills, gunnery exercises, and replenishment-at-sea operations.
“The detachment of ships from the Russian Navy and the PLAN has completed its joint patrol tasks in the Asia-Pacific region. In the central Pacific, the ships conducted anti-submarine missions supported by embarked aviation. Upon reaching the final point of the planned route, the vessels of both countries continued on their respective courses,” the official Chinese statement noted. Afterwards, the joint fleet proceeded toward Kamchatka for replenishment, bringing the patrol to a close and demonstrating the ability of Chinese and Russian warships to sustain an extended presence in the Pacific.
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