China and Russia opened the full maritime phase of their “Joint Sea-2025” naval exercises on Sunday, sending a combined formation of warships from a Russian military port toward the Sea of Japan near Vladivostok. Beijing’s defence ministry said the three-day drills are intended to deepen the countries’ strategic partnership as they face what both describe as a US-dominated security order. Four Chinese vessels—including the guided-missile destroyers Shaoxing and Urumqi—are taking part alongside Russian ships in operations that will rehearse submarine rescue, anti-submarine warfare, air-defence and anti-missile tasks, as well as broader maritime combat scenarios. Once the exercise concludes, the two navies plan joint patrols in unspecified areas of the Pacific, extending a series of annual drills that began in 2012. Separately, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that the PLA Navy’s new-generation Fujian aircraft carrier has entered its final pre-commissioning phase after completing a simulated aircraft launch test. The milestone underscores China’s accelerating naval modernization as it conducts expanded blue-water operations with Russia.