China-Russia "Joint Sea-2026" Joint Exercise Concludes

中俄“海上联合-2026”联合演习闭幕

PLA Daily (解放军报) 13 July 2026

Summary

The China-Russia 'Joint Sea-2026' exercise concluded July 13 at Qingdao, with 10 vessels from both navies completing live-force, live-fire drills across joint reconnaissance, air defense, anti-surface strike, and submarine rescue subjects, after which a subset of participating forces departed for a joint Pacific patrol. The exercise is the 12th iteration of the Joint Sea series since 2012, and the immediate transition to a Pacific patrol extends a pattern of using the exercise as a direct on-ramp to joint operational activity rather than a standalone training event — raising the question of whether the patrol component is becoming a regularized post-exercise format. The combination of multi-domain live-fire drills with a follow-on patrol documents a deepening procedural integration between the PLAN and Russian Navy that goes beyond the 'strategic mutual trust' framing the Chinese chief director offered.

The article reports that after the exercise concluded, a subset of participating forces from both sides departed for a joint patrol in the Pacific Ocean — a detail that exceeds routine exercise reporting and signals an operational component beyond the drill itself.

Translation

Xinhua News Agency, Qingdao, July 13 (Reporters Li Bingxuan, Li Jie) — The China-Russia "Joint Sea-2026" joint exercise completed all scheduled subjects on the morning of the 13th and concluded at a naval port in Qingdao. Some of the participating forces from both sides set sail for the Pacific Ocean to conduct a joint patrol.

This joint exercise took "jointly responding to maritime security threats" as its subject. Both sides together dispatched 10 vessels of various types to participate, with forces encompassing surface, subsurface, air, and support elements.

During the shore-based planning phase, both sides organized map exercises, professional seminars, and ship visits, and carried out activities including a basketball friendly match and a reception. After transitioning to the at-sea exercise phase, the participating forces from both sides jointly completed live-force, live-fire drills across multiple subjects, including joint reconnaissance, air defense and anti-missile operations, anti-surface strike, and joint submarine rescue.

"Maintaining close alignment throughout with a realistic maritime and air combat environment and emphasizing a combat-oriented approach is one of the most distinctive features of this joint exercise. Through the joint exercise, the two militaries have further deepened strategic mutual trust, strengthened traditional friendship, and further elevated the level of jointly handling maritime crises," said the Chinese chief director of the joint exercise.

Zheng Hong, a researcher at the Naval Research Institute, stated that since 2012, the China-Russia "Joint Sea" series of exercises has been held 12 times, becoming an important platform for the two countries' navies to deepen cooperation and pursue development together, and carrying important practical significance for maintaining regional peace and stability.

Original Chinese

新华社青岛7月13日电（记者李秉宣、李杰）中俄“海上联合-2026”联合演习13日上午完成全部预定课目，在青岛某军港闭幕。双方部分参演兵力起航赴太平洋海域开展联合巡航。这次联演以“联合应对海上安全威胁”为课题。双方共派出10艘各型舰艇参演，兵力涵盖水面、水下、空中及保障力量。港岸筹划阶段，双方组织图上推演、专业研讨、舰艇参观，开展篮球友谊赛、招待会等活动。转入海上演练阶段后，双方参演兵力共同完成了联合侦察、防空反导、对海打击、联合援潜救生等多个课目的实兵实弹演练。 “全程紧贴真实海空作战环境、突出实战导向，是本次联演最鲜明的特征之一。通过联演，两军进一步深化战略互信，厚植传统友谊，进一步提升联合处置海上危机的水平。”联演中方总导演说。海军研究院研究员郑宏表示，自2012年以来，中俄“海上联合”系列演习已举行12次，成为两国海军深度合作共谋发展的重要平台，对于维护地区和平稳定有着重要现实意义。