Northern/Interaction-2023:
A Chinese naval flotilla recently set off to join Russian naval and air forces in the Sea of Japan to participate in the “Northern/Interaction-2023” military drills.
- Northern/Interaction-2023 military drills is organized by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Northern Theatre Command in the central Sea of Japan.
- Sea of Japan (East Sea) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean.
- It is located in Eastern Asia that is bounded by Japan and Sakhalin Island to the east and by Russia and Korea on the Asian mainland to the west.
- The event marks Russia’s second time participating in the PLA annual strategic drills, and also a first that Russia has dispatched both naval and air forces to participate in similar events.
- The drills are themed “safeguarding the safety of strategic maritime routes”.
- In August 2021, Russia participated in the “Western/Interaction-2021” exercise held at Northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, which marked the first time that China invited foreign forces to participate in its annual strategic exercises in its territory.
- “Northern/Interaction-2023” drills are organized by the PLA Northern Theatre Command, while PLA forces participating in the previous “Western/Interaction-2021” exercise were mainly composed of forces from the Western Theatre Command.
