China and Russia to Hold Military Exercise in the Sea of Japan

China and Russia will hold a naval exercise in the Sea of Japan in late August.

Having conducted joint naval exercises recently in the Mediterranean, China and Russia will look to increase their naval cooperation in Asia. Next month, the two countries will conduct a joint naval exercise in the Peter the Great Gulf, the largest gulf of the Sea of Japan, along the coast of Russia’s Primorski Krai. The exercise will take place from August 20 to 28, and focus primarily on improving the interoperability of the two navies and bolstering strategic coordination. The exercise, which is code-named “Joint-Sea 2015-II,” will take place as tensions remain high between China and Japan, who dispute the extent of the exclusive economic zones in the East China Sea, and between Russia and Japan. Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev recently announced that Russia would accelerate the construction of civilian and military features on the Kuril Islands, which remain disputed between Russia and Japan.

PLA Navy may establish fourth fleet for Indian Ocean

To extend its reach to the Indian Ocean, China’s PLA Navy may establish a fourth fleet after the North Sea, East Sea and South Sea fleets, according to Duowei News, an outlet operated by overseas Chinese.