China, Iran, Russia carry out joint naval drills amid rising US headwinds

Name: China ramps up training of carrier fighter jet pilots to bolster PLA navy
Uploaded: 2022-01-21T12:30:14.000Z
Duration: 1 min 22 s
Description: China ramps up training of carrier fighter jet pilots to bolster PLA navy

Three-day exercise in strategically key Gulf of Oman aimed to showcase capability to ‘jointly safeguard maritime security’, Beijing says

Drills came at a time of rising tensions with the US for all three, but economic and geopolitical concerns may have played bigger role, says expert

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Iranian, Russian and Chinese warships take part in a joint military drill in the Indian ocean. Photo: Handout via AFP

Amber Wang

Published: 8:30pm, 21 Jan 2022Updated: 8:33pm, 21 Jan 2022

China, Iran and Russia have carried out three days of joint naval drills in the Gulf of Oman, their second such exercise since 2019.

“China sent the guided-missile destroyer Urumqi, the comprehensive supply ship Taihu, ship-borne helicopters and 40 members of the Marine Corps of the PLA Navy to take part in the drills,” the defence ministry in Beijing announced on Thursday.

The exercise, held from Tuesday to Thursday, aimed to demonstrate the capability of the three nations to “jointly safeguard maritime security” and promote regional peace and stability, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

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China ramps up training of carrier fighter jet pilots to bolster PLA navy

The first such trilateral exercise in December 2019 was also conducted in the strategically important Gulf of Oman, which connects the Indian Ocean to the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz – the world’s most important oil transit chokepoint.

The latest drills come at a time when all three nations are at odds with the US over different issues.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is facing the threat of sweeping US-led international sanctions if his country were to attack Ukraine, met Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Moscow on Wednesday.

Their meeting came as Russia’s military build-up near the Ukraine border continued to spark fears of an imminent attack, and at a decisive moment for reviving the Iran nuclear deal offering Tehran sanctions relief in return for halting uranium enrichment.

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