China and Russia declared a "no limits" partnership when President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing in 2022, just days before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The two countries carried out live-fire naval exercises in the South China Sea in July.

MANILA: In a rare sighting, a Russian attack submarine surfaced in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) last week, multiple security sources told the Inquirer.

A Russian attack submarine was recently spotted in Philippine waters in a development which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said was “worrisome.”