This year marks the sixth time that China and Russia have conducted such drills. Starting from 2012, the first China-Russia "Joint Sea" exercise was held in China's northern waters of the Yellow Sea.

The following year, they took place in the waters near the Russian city of Vladivostok. The Chinese navy assembled its largest number of seamen ever for that drill.

In 2014, the third "Joint Sea" drill was held in the north of the East China Sea, where vessels from the navies mixed together for the first time.

In 2015, two drills were held. One was in the Mediterranean Sea in May for open-sea navigation safety.

The other was conducted in August in the Sea of Japan, where the countries held their first combined-landing operation.