Chinese ships hone their combat skills in Mediterranean before exercise with Russia

A Chinese naval flotilla carried out a live-fire exercise in the Mediterranean Sea on Monday en route to the Baltic Sea for a joint drill with the Russian Navy, the People's Liberation Army Navy said on Tuesday.

The flotilla, comprising the CNS Hefei, CNS Yuncheng and CNS Luomahu, fired several rounds at sea targets. Sailors also used small arms to hit nearby targets during the exercise, according to a news release from the PLA Navy.