China, Russia conduct live-force, live-fire drills at sea

A drone photo taken on July 8, 2026 shows Chinese personnel participating in the "Joint Sea-2026" exercise visiting the Russian missile cruiser Varyag. Chinese and Russian naval vessels on Thursday started to carry out live-force, live-fire maritime drills in designated areas near the city of Qingdao, east China's Shandong province.

The drills are part of the "Joint Sea-2026" exercise, which began on Monday and consists of three phases: force assembly, harbor-based planning and at-sea operations.

Before the maritime phase, Chinese and Russian participating personnel held a series of shore-based exchange activities, including visits to each other's naval vessels. (Photo by Li Fengxiang/Xinhua)