On May 11, the joint exercises of the Russian Navy and the Chinese People's Liberation Army began. The ship group of the two countries went to the Mediterranean Sea to work out the issues of interaction in the protection of shipping. Another joint Russian-Chinese maneuver is planned for August. The area for them will be the waters in the Sea of Japan. Such military cooperation is attracting attention and is a new topic of discussion. A new topic is being actively discussed in domestic and foreign media and various assumptions are being made regarding the causes and consequences of cooperation between the two countries.
A few days ago, on May 7, the Taiwanese edition of Want China Times expressed its opinion on the Russian-Chinese exercises. In their article Four reasons for China-Russia drills in Mediterranean, as its name implies, Taiwanese journalists tried to understand the situation and find its roots. The Taiwanese publication uses information from the Sina Military Network.
First, the Taiwanese newspaper notes that the May Russian-Chinese exercise will be the first such event in the Mediterranean Sea. At the same time, the journalists considered it necessary to remind that China and Russia have carried out joint maneuvers several times since 2012, but so far the fleets of the two countries have been learning how to interact in the Pacific Ocean.
According to official data, reminds Want China Times, the purpose of the exercise is to develop cooperation and work out the joint work of the two navies. Representative of the PLA Navy Geng Yansheng previously argued that the upcoming exercises of the two countries in the Mediterranean had nothing to do with the military or political situation in the region, and were not directed against any third countries. Their sole purpose is to work out the interaction of the PLA Navy and the Russian Navy.
Nevertheless, Want China Times does not even doubt that the planned joint exercises are a kind of signal to third countries. For example, the joint US-Japanese maneuvers in the East China Sea, as well as the US-Philippine exercises in the South China Sea, are a signal to China and are directly related to territorial disputes in the region. In addition, the United States and South Korea, conducting joint naval maneuvers, are directly showing their intentions to Pyongyang.
Seen in this light, the planned Russian-Chinese exercise can be seen as a signal to Washington. The American leadership is concerned about the Chinese plans and is trying in every possible way to strengthen relations with various countries of the Asia-Pacific region, so as not to allow China to improve its position and become the undisputed regional leader. In addition, since last year, the United States has pursued an unfriendly policy and imposed sanctions on Russia, which is now hosting joint exercises with China.
Russia and China continue to conduct joint exercises of their navies, developing cooperation in this area. At the same time, curious statements by politicians from third countries are heard. Not so long ago, a Japanese government delegation visited Washington. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Barack Obama have announced that their countries will develop and strengthen military cooperation in the near future. Therefore, the Want China Times notes, one should not be surprised that the next Russian-Chinese exercises in the Pacific Ocean will be held in August, i.e. even before the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and Japan's surrender.
Want China Times mentions that some details of the formation of the ship group, which should participate in exercises in the Mediterranean Sea, are known from open sources. So, nine warships and a number of support vessels will be involved in the exercises. It is noteworthy that the PLA Navy will represent ships participating in the fight against Somali pirates. According to Geng Yansheng, the ships of the two countries will work out the issues of safety of navigation, cargo transfer, escort ships and practice shooting.
Considering the current situation, Taiwanese journalists come to the conclusion that there are four reasons why Russia and China intend to conduct joint naval exercises in the Mediterranean.
The first reason lies in the peculiarities of Russia's foreign policy. Official Moscow has taken a course towards deepening cooperation with China. The Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China are strategic partners, and their cooperation has some interesting features. In addition, both Russia and China cannot count on their place in other international unions. Also, journalists at Want China Times note that Moscow and Beijing, unlike Washington and other capitals, perceive each other as equal partners.
The second reason concerns the military-political plans of Russia. The Russian leadership not only intends to improve relations with Chinese partners, but also intends to restore its presence in the Mediterranean. In addition, Russia wants to expand its influence both in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. In the case of the latter, partnership with China is also demonstrated. The exercises in the Mediterranean are a signal to the countries of the region. With their help, Russia shows that, despite the current problems associated with the Ukrainian crisis, it is not going to leave the region.
The third prerequisite for the exercise is related to China's plans. Through the exercises, Beijing intends to demonstrate its influence in North Africa and the Middle East, as well as demonstrate its ability to protect maritime transport. Currently, the Chinese industry receives most of the oil it consumes from the North African and Middle Eastern states. At the same time, the volume of export of products to Europe is growing. Most of these shipments go by sea. The Mediterranean Sea lies at the junction of three regions of strategic importance to China. Its presence in the Mediterranean allows Beijing to tackle a range of different problems related to political and economic interests.
In addition, the Chinese People's Liberation Army's naval forces are not yet present in the Mediterranean region. As a result, the Russian-Chinese exercises will help Chinese sailors explore an unfamiliar region and practice in performing combat missions, and will also become the first step in the development of new water areas.
The fourth reason for the exercise concerns China's political and economic plans, and also affects the interests of European states. China intends to develop economic cooperation with Europe. At the same time, no European capital wants to be at enmity with Beijing. In this case, the joint exercises of China and Russia, against which sanctions have been introduced, may be a kind of hint. At the same time, however, China is not going to frighten and repel European countries. On the contrary, the Chinese leadership is trying to attract other states to participate in the new One Belt, One Road program. Beijing is taking the initiative to create two major trade routes. In accordance with this proposal, an overland "Silk Road" should appear in Eurasia. In addition, it is planned to create a sea trade route designed to link China and Europe.
It should be noted that the Want China Times, analyzing the prerequisites for joint naval exercises between Russia and China, does not stoop to accusations of aggressive plans and other unfriendly things. The reasons for the maneuvers are exclusively political, strategic and economic interests of the two countries. At the same time, the desire of someone to conquer or otherwise infringe on other people's interests is not mentioned. Moreover, in the fourth purported reason for conducting the teachings, China turns out to be even a benefactor who wants to help Europe.
The first joint exercises of the Russian Navy and the PLA Navy this year will be held from 11 to 21 May. The next such event is scheduled for August this year. In the very near future, it will be possible to find out how accurate the assumptions of Taiwanese journalists turned out to be regarding the prerequisites for the maneuvers in the Mediterranean. In their opinion, the main objectives of these exercises were related to the economic and political interests of the two countries. Thus, the first signs of obtaining the desired results may appear in the very near future.
