Latest News China and Russia to hold annual joint naval drills Published 21 mins agoon 2026/07/5 China and Russia have held Joint Sea exercises for more than a decade [Aljazeera] The Chinese and Russian navies will hold joint exercises in the waters and airspace off China’s east…
Latest News China and Russia to hold annual joint naval drills
Published 21 mins agoon 2026/07/5
China and Russia have held Joint Sea exercises for more than a decade [Aljazeera] The Chinese and Russian navies will hold joint exercises in the waters and airspace off China’s eastern coast this coming week. In a statement on Sunday, the Chinese Ministry of Defence said the annual drills off the major port of Qingdao would be followed by joint maritime patrols in unspecified areas of the Pacific Ocean. Separately, Russian state media reported that a cruiser, a corvette, a diesel-electric submarine and a rescue vessel from Russia’s Pacific Fleet had arrived in Qingdao for the drills that are set to run from Monday to July 13. China’s Northern Theatre Command said its participating forces include two destroyers, a frigate, a submarine, a supply ship and a rescue vessel. The two navies are expected to conduct reconnaissance, air and missile defence, and surface-strike exercises. The manoeuvres come roughly two months after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s trip to China, during which he described bilateral relations as having reached an “unprecedentedly high level”. For his part, Chinese President Xi Jinping called the two countries’ partnership “unyielding”. The two major diplomatic and economic partners have held Joint Sea exercises since 2012. Last year’s edition took place near the Russian port of Vladivostok and was also followed by joint patrols in the Pacific. China has never denounced Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. It insists it is a neutral party and has been regularly calling for peace talks. [Aljazeera]
Latest News A rivalry renewed – Sabalenka and Osaka meet again
Published 2 hours agoon 2026/07/5
Aryna Sabalenka (left) and Naomi Osaka will meet for the fourth time in 2026 (BBC) There are a lot of similarities between Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka. Both have won four Grand Slam titles, been top of the world rankings and built their legacies on hard courts. The big-hitting pair broke through on the WTA Tour around the same time, but their journeys have been very different. While one peaked early, the other had a longer wait for success. After they first met at the 2018 US Open – with Osaka going on to win her maiden major – they did not face each other again until 2026. The pair have now faced each other three times in the space of three months – and today ( Sunday) they will go head-to-head again in a blockbuster fourth-round clash at Wimbledon. (BBC)
Latest News Iran’s China envoy vows ‘special’ Hormuz treatment for ‘friendly’ countries
Published 4 hours agoon 2026/07/5
In peacetime, 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through the Strait of Hormuz [Aljazeera] Iran’s ambassador to China says ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz would be charged new fees but added that China and other “friendly” countries would be granted “special considerations”. An initial deal signed by Iran and the United States last month to halt hostilities stipulated that commercial ships would transit the key waterway free of charge for 60 days, but it remained unclear what policies will be in place after that period. While negotiations on a permanent settlement are ongoing, the US has said Iran will not be permitted to charge tolls or fees for vessels transiting the strait under any final agreement. Speaking to the World Peace Forum in Beijing on Saturday, Ambassador Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said Iran was working in “collaboration and cooperation” with Oman on “new arrangements” for the strait. “As a country where the Hormuz is part of its territorial waters, we will definitely charge service fees,” Fazli said in translated remarks while insisting that such fees would not be a “toll”. “These new arrangements will be concerning guaranteeing the security of passage through the Straits of Hormuz, supervision of the passage of the vessels … and also guaranteeing and dealing with the environmental consequences of the massive number of ships,” he said, according to the AFP news agency. Iran’s NourNews agency also quoted him as saying that “special considerations” would be applied to China and other friendly nations in determining the level and type of service fees for vessels passing through the waterway. In peacetime, one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas was shipped through the strait, which was all but closed by Iran during the war launched by the US and Israel in late February, sending energy prices soaring. In April, the US imposed a corresponding naval blockade on Iran’s southern ports in a bid to stem Iranian oil exports. Fazli stressed that the strait has become a “security” issue since the four-month war waged by the US and Iran. Fazli added that new arrangements concerning the Strait of Hormuz would be made in cooperation and partnership with Oman. Iran and Oman, which sit on both sides of the strait, have established a joint committee to determine how this strategic waterway will be managed. [Aljazeera]