# China and Russia launch 'Joint Sea-2026' naval drills off Qingdao
> The annual China-Russia naval exercise kicked off on July 6 at the Chinese port of Qingdao with warships and submarines from both fleets, timed to coincide with China's first submarine-launched ballistic missile test since 1982 and the NATO summit in Ankara

**Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-07-06 · heads: The Long Game, What They're Not Saying · 3 takes · 3 lenses · 2 regions

## Summary

China and Russia opened the annual "Joint Sea-2026" naval exercise on July 6 at the port of Qingdao in Shandong province, deploying warships and submarines from both fleets into the Yellow Sea. The exercise ran concurrently with China's test-launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile into the South Pacific, the first such test since 1982, and opened the day before the NATO summit in Ankara. [China](/en/entity/china) state media confirmed the exercise name and location without disclosing ship counts or the duration of drills. The back-to-back timing of the SLBM test and the naval exercise with [Russia](/en/entity/russia) was noted by analysts and regional governments as a deliberate joint signalling moment directed at the NATO gathering and at Pacific-rim states already protesting the missile test.

## The split

CGTN presents Joint Sea-2026 as a routine, stabilising exercise with no reference to strategic timing. International-relations analysts and Western-aligned outlets read the simultaneous SLBM test as a deliberate package, arguing the pairing was designed to demonstrate the reach of the [China](/en/entity/china)-[Russia](/en/entity/russia) alignment at the exact moment NATO was convening to address both. Neither Chinese nor Russian officials acknowledged any connection between the exercise and the Ankara summit.

## By the numbers

- July 6, date the exercise kicked off at Qingdao
- 11th, approximate count of the annual Joint Sea exercise series between China and Russia
- 2, events running simultaneously with the drills: China SLBM test + NATO Ankara summit opening July 7

## Why it matters

Joint Sea-2026 adds a naval dimension to the [China](/en/entity/china)-[Russia](/en/entity/russia) alignment at a moment when NATO is formally discussing China as a threat and the SLBM test has drawn protests from the US, Japan, Australia, and Pacific island states. The exercise keeps Russian naval assets in the Yellow Sea, a positioning that also keeps Japanese and South Korean forces focused on the north while the broader Pacific reacts to the missile test.

## What to watch

- Whether the exercise extends to the Pacific or stays confined to the Yellow Sea
- Any joint bomber or submarine patrols announced alongside the naval drills
- NATO's official communique language on the China-Russia partnership, expected at Ankara July 8

## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens)

### Chinese state media
- **CGTN (China Global Television Network)** (China, en) — Chinese state broadcaster's official account: the exercise kicked off Monday morning at a Chinese naval port in Qingdao, Shandong. CGTN frames the drills as routine and stabilising, with China's Ministry of National Defence confirming the exercise name and location. No details on ship count or submarine participation given in the official release.
  > "The China–Russia 'Joint Sea-2026' joint exercise kicked off Monday morning at a Chinese naval port in Qingdao, Shandong province."
  Source: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-07-07/China-Russia-Joint-Sea-2026-joint-exercise-kicks-off-1Oz4fEx66KA/p.html

### strategic analysis
- **IR-IA (International Relations Analysis)** (Global, en) — Strategic-affairs outlet covering the exercise's broader scope: the Yellow Sea drills involve warships and submarines from both countries. Notes the dual timing with China's SLBM test as a deliberate signal package, framing Joint Sea-2026 as an expansion of strategic maritime cooperation between Beijing and Moscow rather than a routine exercise.
  > "China and Russia have launched their annual Joint Sea-2026 naval exercise off China's eastern coast, bringing together warships, submarines and strategic assets."
  Source: https://www.ir-ia.com/news/china-and-russia-launch-joint-naval-drills-in-yellow-Sea-expand-strategic-maritime-cooperation/

### aggregated news
- **Planet Today** (Global, en) — First report to appear in the feed, placing the exercise launch in the context of simultaneous events: China's Pacific missile test and Australian-Japanese protests. Describes drills launching off Qingdao as Beijing tests the JL-2 missile, linking the two events as a coordinated Chinese military signalling package.
  > "China Russia naval exercise 2026 begins with Joint Sea-2026 drills off Qingdao as Beijing tests missile in Pacific. Australia and Japan raise concerns."
  Source: https://www.planet-today.com/2026/07/china-russia-naval-exercise-2026-joint.html

## Across the graph
- Related: [[china-slbm-test-jul6-2026]], [[china-russia-joint-bomber-patrol-jun27]], [[nato-ankara-summit-jul2-preview]]
- Entities: China, Russia, Person:xi Jinping, Person:vladimir Putin, China Nuclear Buildup

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