Sino-Russian Partnership in the Arctic and the Far East Reflect Joint Security Interests (Part One)
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Executive Summary:
- In September, China and Russia held a joint Arctic naval exercise, North-Joint 2024, reflecting their deepening security relationship centered on countering Western influence and reinforcing each other in strategic regions.
- The exercise underscores Russia and China’s shared strategic and economic interests in securing vital maritime routes, particularly the Northern Sea Route, while countering potential Western attempts to restrict access to critical Arctic and Pacific corridors.
- With Russia’s growing dependence on China and weakening state due to its war in Ukraine, China can use this opportunity to strengthen its presence in the Russian Far East and the Arctic region to exploit its rich natural resources.
A series of Russian naval military exercises under the code name Ocean-2024 marked the first half of September. During the Soviet Union, naval exercises under the same code-name were conducted in 1970, 1975, 1977, 1983, and 1985. The military exercises in September 2024 lasted for six days and were conducted in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, as well as in the basins of the Mediterranean, the Caspian, and the Baltic Seas. Moscow claimed that the exercises involved 400 sea vessels and more than 120 helicopters and jets, prompting Russian President Vladimir Putin to call these exercises “the largest in the past thirty years” (RBC, October 2). The event’s most significant attributes were the North-Joint 2024 Sino-Russian joint naval exercises that took place around the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk. From the Russian side, the exercise included the large anti-submarine ships Admiral Panteleyev and Admiral Tributs; Small anti-submarine warfare ships MPK-82 and MPK-107; and corvette (small missile ship) “Smerch.” On the Chinese side, destroyers Xining and Wuxi, as well as frigate Linyi and fleet oiler Taihu, took part in the exercises (RBC, September 21). The Ocean-2024 and North-Joint 2024 naval exercises highlight a deepening Sino-Russian partnership aimed at countering Western influence and securing strategic Arctic and Pacific routes, as both countries strengthen defense ties amid rising tensions with the United States and its allies.
North-Joint 2024 was preceded by an increasing number of joint military exercises between Russia and China. In 2022, the countries carried out six joint military exercises, which set a nearly two-decades-long record (Kommersant.ru, July 16, 2023). In July 2023, Russian and Chinese navies jointly conducted a patrolling mission in the Pacific Ocean, the third year in a row, during which declared objectives included strengthening the Sino-Russian naval partnership in the India-Pacific region (Kommersant.ru, July 28, 2023). In the same month, the parties held joint naval military exercises in the Sea of Japan under the code name Northern/Interaction-2023. While both parties claimed the drills to be defensive, the actual tasks performed included joint artillery shots on coastal, naval, and aerial targets (Kommersant.ru, July 23, 2023). These exercises point to the rehearsal of offensive operational elements as well as defensive.
The main goal of the most recent North-Joint 2024 Sino-Russian joint naval exercises, which consisted of two phases, was to practice anti-submarine warfare and aerial defense. In the first phase of the drills, the emphasis was placed on practicing anti-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) warfare. The press office of Russia’s Pacific Fleet stated, “According to the drill legend, a squadron of [Russian and Chinese] warships practiced joint maneuvering and was attacked from the air by heavy UAVs. The UAV attack was warded off by [unspecified] surface-to-air missile systems, AK-630 fully automatic naval, rotary cannons, and heavy machine guns.” During the second stage, the emphasis was on the search and location of submarines. Notably, a diesel-electric submarine was chosen as a target of anti-submarine operations. These submarines are used, or are expected to be used, by both US, European, and Asian (notably, Japanese) partners, pointing to the main goal of the second stage in the Sino-Russian exercises. Russian sources reported that the task of anti-submarine search, location, and neutralization included an integrated use of specialized helicopters (the Ka-27PL that Russia has used in both Syria and Ukraine) and naval forces equipped with the RBU-6000 Smerch-2 anti-submarine rocket launchers (RIA Novosti, September 30).
When referring to the Ocean-2024 drills, Russian sources also mention that the exercises would include simulation of both defensive and offensive elements, including amphibious operations. Specifically, it was reported that small groups of amphibious forces would land on “unprepared coastal terrain” (likely, the offensive part of the drills), as well as the employment of amphibious forces for the “protection of critical naval economic infrastructure and strategic communications given the nature of contemporary naval warfare.” To increase the effectiveness of operations, the Russian side was planning to include forces of various ministries—the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief, the Federal Security Service (FSB), the National Guard, and the Federal Guard Service—that would coordinate their actions with foreign military units (Portnews.ru, September 10).
Commenting on the nature of the Ocean-2024 exercises, prominent conservative Russian military expert Alexander Perendzhiev highlighted two important aspects. First, he stated that the exercises should be viewed as Russia’s response to Western efforts to block out naval trade arteries. Perendzhiev also connected this with Russia’s growing determination to revitalize the International North-South Transportation Corridor (INSTC) project and the looming prospect of confronting the West that might try to hinder transportation in the Caspian Sea region. Second, he highlighted the role of China as Russia’s emerging security partner and Beijing’s strategic interests in maintaining uninterrupted access to Russia’s strategic natural resources, showcasing mutual interest and the determination of both Russia and China to defend, if necessary, the Northern Sea Route (NSR), the Baltic Sea, and sectors of the Pacific Ocean (Ukraina.ru, September 21).
The Ocean-2024 and, perhaps even more so, the North-Joint 2024 Sino-Russian joint naval exercises extensively drew on the bitter lessons of Russia’s war in Ukraine on the Black Sea (see EDM, September 26, 2023). The emphasis was not only made on anti-UAV operations, but also drills that included rehearsing anti-sea drone warfare (Interfax.ru, September 26). This element significantly undermined Russia’s supremacy on the Black Sea.
Although not natural strategic partners but compelled to collaborate as a counterweight against the United States and its regional allies, Russia and China are strengthening security collaboration in the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic region, where operations in and around the Bering Strait could be prioritized. The Bering Strait—a choking point connecting two oceans— plays a vital role in the functioning of the Polar Silk Road and the NSR as its critical artery. Based on the military exercises and preceding preparatory work, China’s role as a key stakeholder in NSR-related activities—including exploitation of Russia’s Siberian and Far Eastern natural resources—are bound to grow (RIA Novosti August 22). Recently, the Russia-China committee was established for the purpose of developing the NSR and “mutually beneficial collaboration in exploitation and use of the Arctic region.” The Committee also aims to promote the use of the NSR by businesses in the two countries and promote the building of necessary infrastructure (Sudostroenie.info, May 17). Sensing Russia’s weakening of its unsuccessful war of aggression in Ukraine, China will use this historic opportunity to strengthen its presence in the Russian Far East and the Arctic region.
