The China Russia "Maritime Joint-2024" joint exercise opened on the 14th at a military port in Zhanjiang, Guangdong. A joint command center will be established for this exercise, consisting of a mixed formation of navies from China and Russia. At the opening ceremony, the chief director of the Chinese exercise stated that the navies of the two countries have always adhered to a high starting point and high-efficiency development strategy, and the standardized and systematic level of practical cooperation is running at a high level. The two sides have extensive exchanges in professional fields, and the maritime joint exercise and training mechanism is becoming increasingly complete. The two navies' ability to carry out joint military operations at sea is constantly improving. The Russian chief director stated that conducting joint military exercises at sea can effectively enhance the joint cooperation and professional technical level of the participating troops, and play an important role in jointly maintaining maritime and regional security. The exercise will be conducted in three stages: troop assembly, port and shore planning, and maritime exercises. The Russian naval fleet arrived at a military port in Zhanjiang on the 12th, and the participating forces from both sides have completed their assembly. After the opening ceremony, the navies of the two countries jointly conducted map based simulations and tactical coordination. The joint command center conducted in-depth discussions on the key exercise subjects during the maritime exercise phase and finalized the key points of coordination. Next, participating vessels will go to the sea and airspace near Zhanjiang to organize exercises on anchorage defense, joint reconnaissance and early warning, joint search and rescue, joint air defense and missile defense, and conduct practical weapon training. (New Society)