Russia will take part in multinational navy drills in disputed South China Sea
Russia will take part in naval military exercises together with its Asia Pacific allies, according to Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov.
Speaking on Saturday in Singapore, Antonov announced Russia's planned participation in the May 2016 drills which have a focus on counter-terrorism and naval security.
Antonov also said he was concerned about stability in the region, naming the US as the main destabilizing factor. He said that Washington's policies have been aimed against Russia and China: "We are concerned by US policies in the region, especially since every day it becomes increasingly focused on a systemic containment of Russia and China."
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| Photo: Chinese and Russian naval vessels participate in the Joint Sea-2014 naval drill outside Shanghai on the East China Sea, May 24, 2014 (Reuters / China Daily) |
"Despite our concerns about the US global missile defense architecture, they continue a policy of disrupting strategic stability, adding a regional segment of an anti-missile 'shield' in the Asia-Pacific," he added.
He also blamed the US for interfering with the affairs of other countries and said Russia is worried by the trend: “An epidemic of 'color revolutions' swept the Middle East and, like a hurricane, wiped out several states in the region. This disease went across several European countries, where events are freely controlled from the outside.”
The May 2016 exercises will take place in the South China Sea, where Japan and several other Asian countries, along with the US, have been pressuring China to stop the construction of artificial islands in disputed waters. Beijing claims most of the sea's area as its own, saying it is historically Chinese. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also say parts of the area belong to them. - RT
