The Chinese armada is heading to Europe, as Beijing and Moscow look to boost their strategic ties. The next iteration of their "Joint Sea" naval drills will take place in the Baltic Sea next week.
The Chinese naval fleet is expected to arrive in the Baltic Sea by the end of week, according to reports from NATO insiders, after the warships were first spotted on Monday by the Dutch navy.
According to the Russian defense ministry, China's naval fleet will to arrive in the Baltic Sea port of Baltiysk in the Russian province of Kaliningrad.
Beijing has sent its Changsha destroyer, a frigate and a supply vessel. A total of 10 ships are expected to take part in the drill.
Last month, China's state-owned Xinhua news agency said that this year's exercises aim "to consolidate and advance the Sino-Russian comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, and deepen friendly and practical cooperation between the two militaries."
The setting is particularly contentious. The Baltic States - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - have repeatedly warned against Russia's territorial ambitions, while Moscow's expansion into Ukraine has prompted NATO to bolster its presence and conduct its own exercises on the Baltic border with Russia.
A provocative setting
Russia and China have taken turns hosting the exercises since 2012, sometimes in politically sensitive waters. Last year's drill took place in the contested South China Sea, where Beijing is constructing artificial islands in waters claimed by its regional rivals, Japan and Korea.
This isn't the first time that the two countries have held the joint naval exercise in European waters. In 2015 the two countries held naval drills in the Mediterranean.
According to reports in Russia, future exercises are scheduled to take place in the Barents Sea between Russia and Norway, in the Arctic Ocean, and in the Sea of Okhotsk in the Western Pacific Ocean.
China's global interests
The joint exercises are part of China's ambition to expand its military presence outside of Asia. Just last week, Beijing announced plans to build its first overseas military base in Djibouti.
The Chinese government has rejected any assertions that the base is part of its global military ambitions, claiming that it will "primarily be used for the better fulfillment of international obligations" and that "China's defense policy is defensive in nature."
China's show of power
China has held a massive military parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender. Chinese President Xi Jinping wanted to showcase his country's might to the world as well as to the Chinese.
Image: Reuters/D. Sagolj
Nationalism and military might
Seventy years after the end of the World War II, China's leadership has indulged in an exercise of nationalism by holding a military parade. Some 500 armored vehicles rolled over the "Street of Eternal Happiness," as 200 military aircraft flew over the parade. Over 80 percent of the weapons exhibited during the event - including Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles - were shown for the first time.
Image: Reuters/J. Lee
Foreign soldiers march along
Around 1,000 soldiers from 17 countries, including Russia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Pakistan and Serbia, took part in the military parade. Against the backdrop of territorial disputes between China and its neighbors in the East and South China Sea, the event was interpreted as a show of force.
Image: Reuters/China Daily
State of emergency
The authorities had declared a state of emergency in the capital prior to the commemoration. Since mid-August, production in over 10,000 factories in and around Beijing had been curtailed, and nearly half of the cars had been taken off the streets to reduce air pollution in the city.
Image: Reuters/Xinhua/Pang Xinglei
Extra holidays
Hundreds of thousands of volunteers had worked to clean the streets, and the start of the school year, which normally takes place on September 1, was delayed. The Forbidden City along with the Imperial Palace had been closed for two weeks. The citizens got three additional holidays to look forward to.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Schiefelbein
China's 'friends'
Among the heads of state who participated were Russian President Vladimir Putin and South Korean President Park Geun-hye. Many world leaders, however, refrained from attending the ceremony. Germany and the US sent their ambassadors. The only EU leader who traveled to Beijing was Czech President Milos Zeman. Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder participated in his private capacity.
Image: Imago/Xinhua
Japan irked
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had turned down Beijing's invitation to the parade and also postponed a planned trip to China in early September. Japanese media speculated that Abe's decision was related to the parade. Former Japanese PM Tomiichi Murayama did travel to Beijing, but only privately.
Image: Reuters/D. Sagolj
Cost of the show
It is not clear how much this spectacle of power cost China. A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Defense declined to comment but said the organizers didn't spend much of the taxpayers' money.
Image: Reuters/D. Sagolj
Control on the army
By holding the military parade, President Xi Jinping also wanted to show to the Chinese people that the People's Liberation Army is firmly under his control, Kristin Shi-Kupfer, a China expert at the Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), told DW. In addition, Xi intends to change the command structures within the army.
