As part of the "Joint Sea-2017" Russian-Chinese military drills that started on Monday, the Chinese and Russian navies held a joint anti-terrorism competition on Thursday at the Russian Pacific Fleet's range in Vladivostok.

The competition included an obstacle course and live ammunition shooting; both countries sent 21 marines to the event, according to CRI.cn.





The drills were part of the second planned China-Russia naval exercises to be held this year and took place in both the Sea of Japan and, for the first time, the Okhotsk Sea.

The first installment of the exercise was staged in the Baltics in July and was closely watched by NATO and European countries alike.

While Russia and China were holding joint military exercises, the U.S. military and South Korean forces are also staging joint air operations on the Korean peninsula.

The flurry of military drills comes ahead of a UN General Assembly meeting on Tuesday, in which Pyongyang’s atomic ambitions are expected to loom large.

Nevertheless, Chinese and Russian officials have repeatedly emphasised that ongoing military coordination is not directed at any one country - be it the United States or Japan. Indeed, both countries have repeatedly called for a peaceful solution to the North’s nuclear programme.