CHINA AND RUSSIA STARTED their joint naval drills on Thursday in the Peter the Great Gulf and other areas off the Russian coast. The nine days of exercises aim to bolster the comprehensive strategic cooperation and partnership between the two countries' navies, and to increase their military capabilities to counter maritime threats. It is the second joint drill between the two countries this year. Comments:

There should be no over-interpretation of the ongoing naval exercises between China and Russia, which have served as part of annual exchanges for years. The core idea embedded in the bilateral relationship is defensive realism, not forging an anti-West strategic "alliance". The lingering Cold War mentality means both non-aligned powers and allied ones have to avoid making strategic misjudgments.

Yang Cheng, deputy director of the Center for Russian Studies at East China Normal University in Shanghai, Aug 19