Russian, Chinese coast guard ships conduct 1st joint patrol in northern Pacific

Russian and Chinese coast guard vessels have completed their inaugural joint patrol in the northern Pacific Ocean, according to a statement from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) on Friday.

"From September 20 to October 10, coast guard ships of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China conducted the first joint patrol in the northern Pacific Ocean," the press office said in a statement, News.Az reports, citing TASS.

The joint flotilla composed of the Russian guard ships Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Anadyr and the Chinese coast guard ships Meishan and Xiushan crossed the Sea of Japan, entered the waters covered by the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean and further to the Bering Sea to subsequently sail to the Chukchi Sea through the Bering Strait, it specified.

"During the patrol, the coast guard services of Russia and the People’s Republic of China demonstrated their readiness for joint operations to reveal and thwart security threats in the law-enforcement sphere at sea and held a series of exercises in communications, assistance to a vessel in distress and the rescue of human lives at sea," the press office said.

The Russian and Chinese sailors demonstrated high sea skills and professionalism. The crews of Russian and Chinese deck-based helicopters showed high piloting skills, it said.

The joint patrol was part of the 2024-2026 plan of cooperation between the FSB Border Guard Service and the China Coast Guard. In the future, Russia and China will continue this interaction to further strengthen and develop good neighborly relations and ensure their security in maritime directions, the press office said.

News.Az