China and Russia opened joint naval drills in the Sea of Japan, the latest sign of their strengthening alliance on both tactical and strategic levels. Following the three days of exercises, the countries then plan to carry out patrols in parts of the Pacific.
Before Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, experts regarded Moscow and Beijing as uneasy neighbors united by little more than their opposition to US dominance, but that partnership has since deepened: China’s foreign minister reportedly told European officials on a recent tour of the continent that Beijing could not countenance Russia losing in Ukraine, the two countries are increasingly using multilateral bodies to advance an “anti-hegemonic narrative,” and they have growing “doctrinal convergence,” too.