The China-Russia military drills "Joint Sea 2017", kicked off on July 22, 2017, are in the spotlight of the world media. 

For the exercises, Chinese naval fleets have traveled far and entered the Baltic Sea. The route complies with international law and the freedom of navigation. However, some European media have expressed astonishment.  

The welcoming ceremony held by the Russian navy at  Kaliningrad, Russia on July 21, 2017. /CFP Photo

Reuters news agency was shocked that "Chinese military vessels enter Russia’s Baltic for the 1st time as joint drills kick off." 

It quoted political analyst Chris Bambery who said, "the West should recognize that if NATO is going to expand to the border of Smolensk, that is going to worry the Russians." 

"Also the Russian-Chinese alliance has got the potential to offset America regarding the military," Bambery said in an article titled Russia-China exercises a 'natural response' to US-NATO military advances.

The Telegraph published an article titled " US 'closely tracking' as Chinese navy in the Baltics for war games with Russia." 

The Chinese vessel participates the China-Russia military drills arrives at Kaliningrad, Russia on July 21, 2017. /CFP Photo

Some of the western media overreacted to the military drills between China and Russia, according to Zhu Chenghu from the Defense Affairs Institute of the PLA National Defense University. 

It's a routine annual exercise which has been held since 2012, he said. 

In Zhu's opinion, if one looks at the practice, the area is spreading from the East China Sea to the west Pacific and the South China Sea. For the western part, it extends to the Black Sea and this year to the Baltic Sea. So this is quite natural and usual because both China and Russia will have to get themselves used to familiar with the situation there. And it promotes the development of the relations between the two sides, especially the cooperation between the two militaries. So the outsiders don't have to overreact. 

The Chinese vessel arrives at Kaliningrad, Russia on July 21, 2017. /CFP Photo

According to Zhu, the exercise between China and Russia are developing very rapidly. First, it started on the land, then from the land to the sea. The warships on the Chinese side are bigger and bigger, because of the development of the hardware, especially the launch of the new vessels. For example, the Hefei destroyer, which participates in the drills, is huge and quite advanced. Second, as to the contents, even though it is still a nontraditional exercise, the subjects are expanding. For example, to protect the safety of economic activities, it is rarely seen in the past. Third, the area is different. Zhu believes that they are the new development of the exercise between China and Russia.