The Chinese navy is making a rare visit to the Black Sea, as two warships have passed through the Bosphorus en route to take part in May 9 Victory Day celebrations in Russia.
The two ships, the frigates Linyi and Weifang, crossed into the sea on May 4, reported the Bosphorus Naval News blog (which also has several photos of the ships). The ships' visit has still not been publicly announced, but an unnamed source in the Russian Ministry of Defense told news agency RIA Novosti that the ships were headed to the port of Novorossiysk to take part in ceremonies celebrating the 70th anniversary of victory in World War II.
The two Chinese ships are also slated to participate in the first-ever joint Russian-Chinese naval drills in the Mediterranean Sea later this month, in which the two navies will practice "navigation safety, at-sea replenishment, escort missions and live fire exercises." Another interesting storyline: Russia is reportedly interested in buying the types of frigates China has sent, and that China is reportedly using the visit in part as a sales pitch.
But before that happens, it will be interesting to see how the Chinese ships participate in the Russian May 9 events. Chinese President Xi Jinping is one of the few major world leaders to have accepted Russia's invitation to the huge, controversial ceremony planned in Moscow on May 9. Glorification of the Soviet victory in World War II has been an integral part of Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts to unite the country around his rule in the face of internal and external crises in the country. The perception that Putin is using World War II rhetoric for political purposes has led many leaders to skip the May 9 events in Moscow.
In that context, it's interesting that the Chinese ships aren't visiting Sevastopol, the port city of Crimea. The celebrations there look pretty substantial, and will no doubt be a bigger deal that those in Novorossiysk. Putin himself spent Victory Day last year in Sevastopol. China has not recognized Russia's annexation of Crimea, however, which would certainly make it awkward for its warships to make a celebratory visit there.
Chinese warships did visit Sevastopol in 2012, when it was still part of Ukraine, as part of a trip around the Black Sea after having finished a deployment in the Gulf of Aden on an anti-piracy mission. Likewise, the Linyi and Weifang are on their way back to China after finishing a tour in the Gulf of Aden. On the 2012 visit the Chinese ships also made calls at Istanbul, Varna (Bulgaria), and Constanta (Romania); it's not clear if the Linyi and Weifang will visit any port other than Novorossiysk.
Joshua Kucera, a senior correspondent, is Eurasianet's former Turkey/Caucasus editor and has written for the site since 2007.
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