BEIJING - China and Russia will stage joint naval drills in the East China Sea off Shanghai in late May, China's ministry of national defense has said.

The "Joint Sea-2014" drills are regular exercises held by Chinese and Russian navies, and are aimed to enhance practical cooperation between the two militaries and to strengthen their capabilities to jointly deal with maritime security threats, said a report published on the ministry's website.

China and Russia held similar drills off the coast of Russia's Far East last year, which saw seven vessels from China's North Sea Fleet and South Sea Fleet and 12 vessels from Russia's Pacific Fleet take part in the weeklong exercises.

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