China and Russia are set to hold joint naval exercises in China’s northern port city Qingdao next week. The drills will involve ships, submarines, aircraft, helicopters and marine units. The “Joint Sea 2019” drills show that despite their many differences, the regimes of Russia and China are drawn together in an attempt to challenge the global military dominance of the US.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has accelerated the modernization and expansion of the Chinese military every since he came into power in 2013. Earlier this year, China announced that it will increase its military spending by 7.5%, which is higher than the expected 6.5% growth rate of the Chinese economy.

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