On May 20, 2014, President Xi Jinping, Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia, attended the launch ceremony of the China-Russia "Joint Sea-2014" naval drill at Wusong naval port in Shanghai. They as well met together with the representatives of the officers and ratings of the two navies.

The Huangpu River was billowing and the East China Sea was so wide. The Chinese and Russian warships for the drill berthed at the naval port, getting prepared.

Putin arrived at the port in the afternoon. He was received by Xi Jinping. The two heads of state together stepped on the reviewing stand. The military band played the national anthems of China and Russia, and the heads of state jointly reviewed the naval guard of honor.

The heads of state then stepped into the hall of the drill directors and met with the representatives of the officers and ratings from both sides. Wu Shengli, Commander-in-Chief of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), hosted the ceremony. Vice Admiral Tian Zhong, the Chinese General Director of the drill and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the PLAN, and Vice Admiral Alexander Fedotenkov, the Russian General Director of the drill and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, reported that all the preparations were done and the officers and ratings, in high spirit, were confident and determined for the successful completion of the drill.

Xi Jinping and Putin delivered speeches respectively.

Xi Jinping said, China and Russia successfully held twice joint naval drills in 2012 and 2013, which yielded good results. As an important part of this year's cooperation between the two militaries, the drill will again show the world the unwavering determination and the will of China and Russia to work together in response to new threats and new challenges and to safeguard regional security and stability, as well as the new level of China-Russia strategic mutual trust and strategic coordination. Hope that the officers and ratings from the two navies continue their efforts for an elaborate organization and close coordination to ensure the smooth implementation of each operation in the drill.

Putin said that the armed forces of Russia and China fought shoulder to shoulder against Fascist aggression in the World War II, and have forged a profound wartime friendship. The bilateral military relationship serves as a vital part of Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination. He hoped that under the new circumstances, the two armed forces will strengthen cooperation, join hands in coping with various threats and challenges, and jointly safeguard global and regional peace and stability.

Xi Jinping announced the official launch of the seven-day China-Russia joint naval drill.

Wang Huning, Xu Qiliang, Li Zhanshu, Yang Jiechi and others were present at the above activities.

Approved by the two heads of state, the China-Russia "Join Sea-2014" naval drill will be held in the waters and airspace at the northern part of the East China Sea from May 20 to 26. With the subject of joint operation on the sea, the drill focuses on tactical tasks such as joint air defense, joint anti-submarine operation, joint sea-to-sea assault and the real-life use of weapons, aiming to improve capabilities of both navies jointly tackling security threats on the sea.