Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Chinese and Russian navies coordinate efforts while escorting Syrian chemical weapons through the Mediterranean in June 2014. (Photo/CNS)

China's decision to conduct joint naval drills with Russia in the Mediterranean next year has deep strategic meaning, says Duowei News, a US-based Chinese political news outlet.

Russian defense minister Sergey Shoygu announced the joint exercise on Nov. 18 during his visit to Beijing this week. It is no surprise that Russia intends to increase its presence in the region, given that the Russian navy declared last May that it was building a sub fleet in the Mediterranean, with the goal of restoring the country's Mediterranean Fleet by 2015.

For China, on the other hand, the decision appears on its face to be simply a show of support for Russia, which has been isolated by the West after it annexed the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in February. It could also be construed as a demonstration of the strength of bilateral relations to the rest of the world.

This does not mean, however, that China would be a military ally of Russia in a real war, adding that the decision to conduct the joint drills is likely based more on the benefit to China's own interests, Duowei said.

China still holds the largest number of troops in the world and has added advanced stealth jets and an aircraft carrier to its arsenal, but a lack of real combat experience is still considered a major weakness of the People's Liberation Army. A study conducted by the US Navy found that although the PLA Navy has 235,000 people, five times more than that of Japan, China's chain of command and information remains significantly behind international leaders.

Following the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370 in March, China deployed 12 vessels, 10 satellites and three aircraft for the search efforts. The main aim was of course to locate the missing airliner and the 239 people in board, including the 152 mainland Chinese citizens, Duowei said, though from another point of view the exercise allowed China to gain valuable experience in the South China Sea and previously foreign waters such as the Strait of Malacca.

It is also clear that China is interested in increasing its own presence in the Mediterranean, which has historically been a key geographical region, Duowei said. In July 2012, the PLA's Qingdao Type 052 destroyer, Yantai Type 054A frigate, Weishanhu Type 903 replenishment ship all entered the Mediterranean for the first time after completing an escort mission near the Gulf of Aden. Then from January this year, the PLA's Yancheng Type 054A frigate, along with vessels from Russia, Denmark and Norway, began jointly escorting Syrian chemical weapons through the Mediterranean, further raising questions about China's intended role in the region.

Duowei believes this could be an example of China using its military might to open an economic door to the West, a method that is no different to how the West used cannons to blow down the door to China or how England stationed 50,000 troops in the region to protect access to Indian resources and markets.

No matter how much the Chinese government denies it, the PLA's increased activity in the Mediterranean signals China's intentions for the region. With China's aircraft carrier technology developing rapidly and efforts to build a blue-water navy growing stronger, it is possible that PLA could have a fleet in the Mediterranean by 2025, Duowei said.