(Xinhua News Agency/TASS)

Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said on Monday that China and Russia conduct joint patrols with full compliance with international law and are not directed against any third parties.

Neither do they pertain to the current geopolitical situation, he noted.

"These operations are not directed against third parties and are not related to the current international and regional situation," Qian was quoted as saying by the Chinese Ministry of Defense.

The official said that the two countries conduct routine patrols in strict compliance with international law and all navigation is in international waters.

The goal of the drills is the joint protection of international justice and maintaining security in the world, he added.

According to the Russian-Chinese annual plan for inter-army cooperation, Russia and China conducted joint patrol drills last week in the western and northern parts of the Pacific Ocean.

The Russian Defence Ministry said the joint exercise included training on communications, helicopter landings, and take-offs from the decks of each other’s ships.

Overreaction on the part of the US which alleged that the two countries had reached international waters near Alaska prompted the US media to call the drills "highly provocative."

Over the years, the US has trespassed China's waters multiple times by passing through the Taiwan Strait in an attempt to provoke Beijing and undermine its territorial integrity.