Russia and China strengthen their military alliance with operation Northern Union 2024

Russia and China continue to strengthen their bilateral relations by announcing that they will deploy several warships jointly in the Sea of Japan, in an operation dubbed Northern Union 2024.

"This exercise seeks to deepen the level of strategic cooperation between the Chinese and Russian militaries and strengthen their ability to jointly confront security threats," China's Defense Ministry said, in statements reported by Infobae.

This operation is one more sign of defiance to the West and how the Russian-Chinese alliance is growing. In the last 12 months, the leaders of the two countries, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, have held three meetings in which, among other topics, they have discussed how to strengthen their bond in military matters.

The three meetings between Putin and Xi Jinping

The first of these three meetings dates back to October 2023, when Putin went to Beijing to participate in the third Belt and Road Forum to talk with his "dear friend" Xi Jinping, as he stated. At that meeting they discussed their trade and military agreements, demonstrating "boundless" bilateral cooperation.

The second meeting was in May this year, again in the Chinese capital, a meeting in which they publicly reaffirmed their intention to continue working closely together.

Two months later, this time in Astana, Kazakhstan, on the occasion of the annual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Putin and Xi Jinping met again, in the presence of other leaders such as those of India, Pakistan and Iran. Here the talks were focused on regional security, among others.

China congratulates North Korea on the anniversary of its founding

On the sidelines of these military maneuvers, China's president congratulated North Korea (DPRK), another of its major allies, and its supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, on the 76th anniversary of the founding of the country, which proclaimed itself an independent state in 1948.

"Chinese President Xi Jinping today sent a congratulatory message to Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the founding of the DPRK," wrote Xi Jinping in a message released by the Defense Ministry.

In addition, the Chinese leader added that his country "will continue to view bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, and is willing to deepen strategic communication, strengthen coordination and cooperation with the DPRK, and jointly maintain, consolidate and develop the traditional friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries."