VLADIVOSTOK, August 9. /TASS/. Russian and Chinese navy officials signed a protocol to hold the second stage of the joint Russian-Chinese Maritime Cooperation-2017 naval exercise in September, a Russian Pacific Fleet spokesman said on Wednesday.
"A ceremony to sign a protocol to organize the planning and preparing of the second stage of the international Russian-Chinese naval exercise, Maritime Cooperation-2017, took place in Vladivostok," Pacific Fleet spokesman Vladimir Matveyev said.
During the meeting, the sides discussed the concept of the drills, its venues and other important issues.
"The exercise includes the coastal phase and the naval phase. The coastal phase will be held in Vladivostok on September 18-21 and will include cooperation talks, tactic planning, official receptions by both sides, as well as sporting and cultural events," the spokesman said.
"The naval phase of the maneuvers will be held on September 22-26, in the Sea of Japan and the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk," he added.
During the naval phase, crews will maneuver in tactical groups, train communication and joint rescue actions. They will also conduct live firing at surface and air targets and practice anti-submarine defense.
The first stage of the Russian-Chinese naval exercises ‘Maritime Cooperation-2017’ was held from July 21 to July 28 in Baltiysk, the coastal city in Russia’s westernmost Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad. Russia’s new generation Project 20380 corvettes - the Steregushchy and the Boiky - as well as a rescue tug, the Ka-27 multi-purpose shipborne helicopters, the Su-24 tactical bomber and the An-26 military transport aircraft took part in the drills.
China sent the Hefei destroyer, the Yuncheng frigate and the Luoma Lake supply ship to the drills.