Summer in Vladivostok reminds me of similar scenery in East China's Qingdao, where, as a reporter, I was lucky to witness the first China-Russia joint naval exercise in 2012 - the hilly landscape, red roofs surrounded by green shade trees and the mercurial weather shifting from mist and rain to clear blue sky.

For most military officers and reporters who have experienced both drills, the biggest change this year may be the increased efficiency and "buddy" relations as the two navies become accustomed to such exercises.

Upon the arrival of the Chinese task force in Vladivostok on July 5, Ding Yiping, deputy commander of the navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, said he was rewarded at last year's exercise in the Yellow Sea with the friendship of Deputy Chief of the Russian Navy Main Staff Leonid Sukhanov.

The two chief directors often enjoy casual conversations after each ceremony and news conference.

The Chinese reporters - most of whom also came last year - are delighted to get together again, abroad. We joke that it is the exercises that made this happen as we can seldom spare time to meet each other in buzzing Beijing.

What is more surprising is to meet the same Russian "buddies" and witness their growing knowledge of China.

Khabarov Artyom, 24, is an interpreter for the Russian navy who has participated in five exercises involving the two countries since 2009.

The lieutenant came straight to us on our first encounter, saying his Chinese name had been changed from Qiaoma, which resembles the pronunciation of his Russian name, to Qiao Longfei, which translates as "flying dragon".

"The new name was suggested by a senior Chinese officer, and I like it because I was born in 1988, the Year of the Dragon in China's lunar calendar," he said in fluent Chinese. The Khabarovsk native said he watched many Chinese movies and knew many of our military stories when he was a child.

"I was meant to learn Chinese," he said and showed me pictures on his mobile phone, including Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the Russian defense ministry during his visit to Moscow in March, Sino-Russian exercises over the past years and Chinese singer Bai Xue.

Artyom said he has been studying Chinese for eight years and now teaches 10 Chinese students at college. He yearns to further enhance his language skills in China to keep up with the pace of the development of Sino-Russian relations.

Li Yingzhu, an interpreter for the Chinese navy, said she felt more at ease than last year, as the two sides increase their mutual understanding and shared experience each year.

"What impressed me the most was the higher efficiency," she said. "For Chinese and Russian people, more acquaintance means more trust."

But organizing such regular exercises is not an easy task. Ample preparation for situations in a foreign country and problem-solving efforts are vital for the drill's success.

For the Chinese navy, it was a challenge to send such a large amount of troops abroad, without a "babysitterlike" supply at home, said a Chinese military expert.

Reporters joked that we may meet somewhere next year to check out any changes in the task forces if another joint event is held.

One senior reporter said, "Maybe such exercises will become so regular in the future that we won't bother to report them anymore."

I don't know when his words might come true, but considering the closer ties between the two navies, I am sure the only movement for them will be forward.

(China Daily 07/12/2013 page11)