First Russia-China naval war games underway in Mediterranean

Neither Russia nor China has one inch of coastline on the Mediterranean Sea, making it an unlikely and provocative venue for their first joint naval war games.

The 10 days of maneuvers that got underway Monday will include live-fire exercises in the strategic sea connecting Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The point is lost on no one: A powerful new alliance of eastern giants is flexing its muscles in the very backyard of Western Europe — much as China has done on its own in the Pacific.

The war games follow Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow, where he headlined Victory Day celebrations and spent three days making billion-dollar deals with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia’s World War II allies mostly stayed away.

Russia has been driven into the arms of its communist neighbor by Western sanctions imposed for its role in the bloody Ukraine crisis. The United States and European Union have cut off Russia’s businesses and its government from international lending and provoked tit-for-tat trade embargoes that have hurt both sides.

Russia, China to Hold Joint Naval Drills in the Mediterranean

Russia and China object to the West’s military presence along their borders, and these joint naval exercises are planned to send a message to the world. Financial Times writes, “China complains about U.S. naval patrols just off its coast; Russia rails against the expansion of nato. By staging joint exercises in the Mediterranean, the Chinese and Russians would send a deliberate message: If nato can patrol near their frontiers, they too can patrol in nato’s heartland.” Russia and China demonstrate a lack of fear as they flex their combined military strength to challenge the world order.