Russian warships dock in Chinese port ahead of Joint Sea exercises

Russian naval vessels arrived in the eastern Chinese port city of Qingdao on Sunday ahead of joint maritime drills.They include the Varyag, a Slava-class guided-missile “carrier-killer” cruiser, as well as the Ufa, a diesel-electric attack submarine, the naval arm of the People’s Liberation Army Northern Theatre Command wrote on social media on Sunday.A welcome ceremony was held at the dock to greet the Russian forces, who starting on Monday, will be taking part in the annual Joint Sea exercises as part of a cooperation plan for the two countries’ armed forces.This year’s activities were designed to address security challenges and help to maintain regional peace and stability, according to the Chinese defence ministry.“Following the exercises, some of the forces from both sides will proceed to relevant areas of the Pacific Ocean to carry out joint maritime patrols,” the ministry said.Apart from the Russian cruiser and submarine, a corvette and rescue ship will also be taking part in the drills, which will end next Monday, the state-run Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.