China and Russia announce joint military exercises near Japan

China's military reported that it will conduct an annual naval exercise and a joint sea patrol with Russian forces near Japan. Authorities detailed that the event will take place in August.

Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesman for China's Defense Ministry, explained that the military exercise, called Joint Sea 2025, will take place in the airspace and waters near the Russian port city of Vladivostok, located off Japan's western coast, per statements cited by the AP.

Zhang also stressed that both the exercise and the patrol are part of an annual collaborative program and do not target any country, nor are they linked to the current international or regional context.

However, the spokesman criticized exercises the U.S. Air Force conducts with Japan and other partners in the western Pacific.

"The U.S. has been blindly flexing muscles in the Asia-Pacific region and attempting to use military drills as a pretext to gang up, intimidate and pressure other countries, and undermine peace and stability in the region," Zhang said.