Chinese naval task forces finished their mission preparation on Sunday night and were ready for the upcoming live ammunition phase of the China-Russia "Joint Sea 2013" naval exercises.

From Monday to Thursday, live ammunition exercises and a fleet review will be held in Peter the Great Bay near Vladivostok. Chinese naval forces arrived in the port city on July 5.

Ding Yiping, deputy commander of the navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, said on Sunday that a number of key subjects will be covered by the two navies in the next few days.

"We will also optimize the plans for organization and commanding, which are highly professional and complicated, but it is a significant step to make such drills between China and Russia regular," said Ding, who is also the chief director of Chinese task forces.

A total of 18 vessels and a submarine from both sides will focus on joint maritime air defense, joint escorts and maritime search and rescue operations.

"We've specified tactics and technological details to make sure the success of the drill," said Xu Fang, captain of Shijiazhuang, one of the four Chinese destroyers joining the exercise.

China Daily

(China Daily USA07/08/2013 page09)