According to the Chinese Ministry of Defense, China will send the destroyer Urumqi, the frigate Linyi, and the integral supply ship Dongpinghu to participate in the maneuvers “to jointly maintain regional maritime security.”
This is the fourth edition of the “Maritime Security Belt” maneuvers, in which China participated in 2019, 2022 and 2023.
The navies of Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Oman, India, and South Africa will send units and personnel to take part in the exercise as observers.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the main objective of the maneuvers is to improve the security of maritime economic activity.
A detachment of the Russian Pacific Fleet, with the cruiser Variag acting as flagship, arrived in Iran to participate in the exercise in the Arabian Sea.
China, Russia, and Iran conducted similar naval training in the same region in March last year.
jrr/llp/oda/idm