Chinese Warships Join Russian War Games In Baltic Sea

Russian and Chinese warships held gun firing exercises in the Baltic Sea Tuesday as part of the "Joint Sea 2017" naval drills.

The Joint Sea 2017 drills commenced Saturday and will last until July 28, Xinhua reported Wednesday.

The ships which were divided into two tactical groups fired their secondary guns at floating targets set by the Russian side.

"These kinds of small and light targets are quite unsteady and thus difficult to be targeted," said Zhang Yunpeng, a commander in charge of secondary guns on China's missile destroyer Hefei.

Among the arsenal is the Chinese Type 052D guided missile destroyer Hefei, one of the country’s most advanced warships. In addition to that Chinese flotilla travelled 10,000 miles for the show of strength with its ally Russia. Besides, ten ships and the same number of aircraft came down on Europe’s border to take part in their war games.

The Chinese fleet consists of one destroyer, one frigate, one supply ship, ship-borne helicopters and marines. The Russian side includes one frigate, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and marines.

A large amount of shells were fired in a blink from the Hefei ship at Zhang's order and hit the target, Yunpeng added. The captain of Hefei said the two countries' navy fleets were closely coordinated and reached their expected goals.

The drill aims to carry out joint rescue missions and ensure maritime economic activities.

The Chinese and Russian navies will conduct a variety of joint exercises and attend a parade in St. Petersburg to mark Russia's Navy Day.