China and Russia are planning joint naval exercises in the South China Sea for September, the Chinese Defense Ministry said on Thursday, stating that the exercises are “not directed against third parties."
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Both China and Russia have found themselves embroiled in tensions with the West. Russia has been at odds recently with the U.S.-backed NATO in Europe, with Poland and the Baltic states stoking fears of Russian aggression.
China has long claimed that it has territorial rights over the economically important waterway, but the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan have also had rival claims over the area.
Earlier in July, an arbitration tribunal in The Hague rejected China's claims to large parts of the waterway. The Philippines who brought the case to the tribunal claimed the ruling as a victory, but China boycotted the case saying the decision will not affect China's actions in the area.
In both parts of the globe the U.S. has been accused of stirring up tensions with the two other superpowers. In Europe new NATO missile defence systems have aggravated Russia as have NATO's recent Anaconda 16 military exercises that took place in Poland in June, dubbed the largest military training exercise in the region since the Cold War including over 30,000 troops.
China has repeatedly warned the U.S. and its allies not to interfere or take actions that would threaten China’s claim to sovereignty.
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"Western countries have a long history of failing to establish orderly rule over parts of the world. The Middle East is a classic example," Chinese state news agency Xinhua said earlier in July.
“These drills are not targeted against any specific country. The main thing is to develop a common military response with our close neighbor against any threat,” Russian Deputy Commander Sergey Vertepa said of the exercises last year.