ISTANBUL

China and Saudi Arabia will conduct a joint naval military drill in October, the Chinese Defense Ministry announced on Thursday.

The military exercise, called “Blue Sword 2023,” will be held in Zhanjiang city of South China’s Guangdong province, a ministry spokesman told a press briefing, Global Times reported.

Both nations had previously conducted collaborative naval exercises in 2019, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

China facilitated an agreement this year in which historical adversaries in the region, Saudi Arabia and Iran, agreed to mend relations and reopen their diplomatic missions.