China, Russia start joint naval drills 

FILE - Chinese destroyer Xian is moored at the Neva River embankment in St.Petersburg, Russia, July 26, 2019, with a sculpture of admiral and explorer Ivan Krusenshtern on the left.

China and Russia's naval forces kicked off a joint exercise Sunday at a military port in southern China, official news agency Xinhua reported, days after NATO allies called Beijing a “decisive enabler” of the war in Ukraine.