Based on an agreement among the three countries, China will hold joint maritime exercises with Russia and Iran in the Gulf of Oman from Dec. 27 to 30, said a Chinese defense ministry spokesperson on Thursday.

The PLA navy will send its guided-missile destroyer Xining to participate in the exercises, Senior Colonel Wu Qian told reporters during a regular news briefing.

Wu said the joint exercises are to deepen exchanges and cooperation among the three navies and to show their willingness and capabilities to jointly safeguard world peace and maritime security and build a maritime community with a shared future.

He added that the joint exercises are not targeted at any countries or regions and are not in response to any recent incidents.

This year, China carried out a total of 41 joint exercises, trainings and international army games with over 30 countries to improve its combat capabilities.