China hosts Russian warships that passed by Taiwan, Japan

China hosted two Russian warships that had earlier sailed past Taiwan and Japan, and the vessels are expected to hold a joint drill with the Chinese navy during their visit, demonstrating the enduring military cooperation between the two countries.

The two frigates - Gromkiy and Sovershenniy - made port at the financial hub of Shanghai on Wednesday, Chinese state television reported. Both vessels belong to Russia’s Pacific Fleet, headquartered in Vladivostok.

 Two Russian missile corvettes called at the Shanghai port on Wednesday in the first friendly visit by Russia’s naval ships after the lifting of anti-coronavirus restrictions, a TASS correspondent reported from the scene.

The corvettes Gromkiy and Sovershenniy moored at the wharf of the Chinese naval base located at the confluence of the Huangpu and Yangtze Rivers. The Russian Pacific Fleet’s warships were welcomed in a solemn ceremony to the accompaniment of the military band by the naval base chief, a representative of the Shanghai Committee for Foreign Affairs and Russia’s Consul General in Shanghai Dmitry Lukyantsev.

Chinese naval sailors dressed in white parade uniforms and holding placards with welcome greetings in the Russian and Chinese languages lined up at the wharf to welcome their Russian counterparts.