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Putin referred to recent Sino-Russian joint navy exercises in theYellow Sea as an example of military cooperation which, he said,would go on. "We will continue cooperation also between our military," he toldChinese Vice President Xi Jinping in Beijing, where he is attendinga security summit and meeting his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao. "Recently joint navy exercises were held in the Yellow Sea, andthey were the first of such exercises. We have agreed with ChairmanHu that we will continue such cooperation," Putin said. Chinese and Russian naval forces held six days of exercises in theYellow Sea off China's east coast in April, with drills includinganti-submarine operations and the rescue of hijacked vessels. China deployed 16 ships and two submarines, while Russia sent fourwarships from its Pacific fleet, according to Chinese state media. "We assign an important role to the joint initiative onstrengthening security in the Asia-Pacific region and in thiscontext we will maintain the relationship between our militaries,"Putin said in an earlier statement. "We favor the formation of an open and equal-minded security andcooperation architecture in the region, based on the principles ofinternational law," he said. China and Russia have forged close economic and diplomatic tiesfollowing years of hostility and suspicion during a large part ofthe Cold War, and both have looked askance at U.S. militaryinvolvement in what they view as their backyards. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Saturday the UnitedStates would reposition its naval fleet so that 60 percent of itsbattleships would be in the Asia-Pacific by the end of the decade,up from about 50 percent now. China has long been wary of U.S. intentions, with hawkish voices inthe People's Liberation Army saying that the United States was benton encircling China and crippling its rise. China's fast-modernizing navy has stirred worries among neighbors,including in Southeast Asia, where several countries are in disputewith China over territorial claims in the South China Sea. Under the U.S. plans, Panetta announced the Navy would maintain sixaircraft carriers assigned to the Pacific. Six of its 11 carriersare now assigned to the Pacific, but that will fall to five whenthe USS Enterprise is decommissioned soon. The number will return to six when a new carrier, the USS Gerald R.Ford, is completed in 2015. The U.S. Navy had a fleet of 282 ships as of March. That isexpected to slip to about 276 over the next two years beforebeginning to rise toward the goal of a 300-ship fleet, according toa 30-year Navy projection released in March. (Reporting by Gleb Bryanski; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing byRobert Birsel). The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Diesel Engine Forklift Manufacturer , Off - Road Forklift Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Off - Road Forklift today!
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