Top Chinese navy officer Hu Zhongming and PLA ships head to Russia for maritime parade

Admiral Hu also meets Russian deputy defence minister during first overseas trip since promotion

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Admiral Hu Zhongming, commander of China’s navy, attended Russia’s annual navy celebration on Sunday. Photo: Weibo/新浪军事

Published: 2:13pm, 29 Jul 2024Updated: 3:50pm, 29 Jul 2024

On his first overseas trip since becoming China’s top naval officer, Admiral Hu Zhongming joined Russia’s annual navy celebration hosted by President Vladimir Putin on the weekend.

According to Russia’s defence ministry, Hu arrived in Russia to join the main naval parade to celebrate Russia’s Navy Day in St Petersburg on Sunday, the Tass news agency said.

It followed Hu’s meeting with Russian deputy defence minister Colonel General Alexander Fomin on Saturday in St Petersburg where they discussed “pressing” issues of naval cooperation between their two countries, Tass said on Saturday.

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The trip marks Hu’s first international visit since his promotion to admiral in December, when he was first referred to as China’s top naval commander.

Hu, who has extensive experience commanding submarines, succeeded Dong Jun, the former top naval commander who later became China’s defence minister.

Hu’s visit to Russia highlights the continued strengthening of security ties between the two nations since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

This month, the navies of China and Russia conducted “Joint Sea-2024” maritime exercises along China’s southern coast.

The two sides also conducted a separate maritime patrol extending from the northern Pacific to the South China Sea, waters that have seen increased tensions, notably between Beijing and Manila over Second Thomas Shoal.