The naval forces of China and Russia will conduct the joint military exercise code-named "Maritime Cooperation 2014" in the sea and air areas in the north of East China Sea which are to the east of the Yangtze River estuary in China from May 20 to 26, 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will jointly attend the opening ceremony for the naval exercise, said Yury Ushakov, assistant to the Russian president, according to rusnews.cn.

The Russian military delegation has arrived in Shanghai and the two militaries are conducting the last consultation before the exercise, according to the Voice of Russia.

The Chinese and Russian naval forces will conduct reconnaissance over the exercise areas, define the joint action plan for the naval forces, as well as the interactions of such subjects as air defense, antisubmarine, blockade, sailing and supply during the 3-day-long consultation, said the representative of the Russian naval force. Both sides will also discuss over the sports and culture activities to be held. The delegation of the Russian naval force includes the director general of the Bureau of the Russian Naval Training and Operations, officers of the Russian Navy Headquarters and the representatives of the Pacific Fleet. The Chinese side is made up of the representatives of the General Staff Headquarters of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and experts of the East China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy.

The joint exercise will be the first one between the naval forces of the two countries to be held in the northwest sea areas of the Diaoyu Islands, and both sides will reportedly dispatch more than 20 surface ships, underwater vessels and auxiliary ships. The Russian naval force will send one guided missile cruiser, one guided missile destroyer, one auxiliary ship and one ocean-going tug to participate in the exercise, and its taskforce will go southward from the Tsushima Strait to arrive in Shanghai, according to Captain Raman, spokesman of the Pacific Fleet of the Russian naval force.

In addition, President Putin will attend the 4th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia to be held in Shanghai and hold talks with President Xi Jinping during his visit to China. The heads of the two countries will also jointly meet the business representatives of the two countries.