ABOARD DESTROYER KAIFENG, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese and Russian naval vessels on Thursday started to carry out live-force, live-fire maritime drills in designated areas near the city of Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province.

The drills are part of the "Joint Sea-2026" exercise, which began on Monday and consists of three phases: force assembly, harbor-based planning and at-sea operations.

According to the exercise plan, the maritime phase includes drills on joint reconnaissance, air defense and anti-missile defense, and coordinated submarine search and rescue operations.

Before the maritime phase, Chinese and Russian participating personnel held a series of shore-based exchange activities, including visits to each other's naval vessels.■