▻http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/01/after-obama-visit-planned-naval-drills-with-russia-reported/?_php=true&_type=blogs&src=twr&smid=tw-nytimesworld&_r=0
China and Russia will soon hold joint naval exercises near islands disputed by Beijing and Tokyo in the East China Sea, the Jinghua Times newspaper reported on Thursday, quoting China’s Ministry of National Defense.
The Beijing-based newspaper did not say how close the exercises would be to the islands, called the Diaoyu by China and the Senkaku by Japan, stating only that they would be to the “northwest.” It gave a time frame as “the last 10 days of May.”
The exercises, called Maritime Cooperation 2014, may exacerbate tensions in the region. On his just-concluded trip to Asia, President Obama said the United States recognized Japan’s administration of the islands, a statement the newspaper said had angered China. It quoted a military analyst as saying it was no coincidence that the Ministry of National Defense mentioned the planned exercises “the day after Obama left Asia.”