A Chinese destroyer conducted live-fire military drills inside Â鶹´«Ã½ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Okinotorishima island over the weekend, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced, as Russian warships observed ¡ª the latest signal of Beijing and Moscow¡¯s growing defense ties.
The announcement was the first time Tokyo had spotted and made public a live-fire drill by the Chinese military within Â鶹´«Ã½ EEZ.
¡°At this moment, Chinese and Russian naval vessels are conducting joint navigation operations in the waters surrounding Japan,¡± Koizumi said in a speech at the Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, England, on Monday.
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