China and Russia have begun conducting their joint naval exercises in the East China Sea to solidify the political ties and military coordination between the two countries.

China's President Xi Jinping and Russia's President Vladimir Putin both witnessed the naval drills, which involved the launching of 14 vessels, nine aircrafts and helicopters, two submarines, and special forces. The naval exercise will last for a week.

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This is the third joint naval drill that China and Russia have participated in. This time, however, there are three different groups in the exercise and each is headed by a Chinese and Russian commander.

The "Joint-Sea 2014" coincided with Putin's visit to China and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Shanghai. The Russian leader said the exercise highlighted the "new high" in the cooperation between Moscow and Beijing.

According to Time Magazine, the two presidents realize the benefit they can get from their partnership as their ties with the West gradually turn sour. With Russia and China both becoming increasingly isolated from their neighbors, they have found a friend in each other.

When Russia made a move to take Crimea from Ukraine, it has received sanctions from the West. China, on the other hand, has been alienated after increasing its assertiveness on the on-going territorial spats with Japan, the Philippines, and its other Asian neighbors.

Last week, anti-China protests erupted in Vietnam after China towed an oil rig in disputed waters. The riots have caused thousands of Chinese to escape Vietnam.

These situations have put a strain on both countries' ties with the US. Because of that, Moscow and Beijing need to grab hold of what available diplomatic support they can extend to each other.

Economic support is another factor that draws China and Russia closer. Since Russia's economic growth fell to 1.3% in 2013, Putin is eager to attract fresh investment and new export clients which China is readily able to provide.

A closer relationship between Russia and China could have major geopolitical repercussions on the West. Should Russia be able to secure new economic and diplomatic support from China, Washington and Brussels could have a hard time pressuring it over the Ukraine crisis.

Meanwhile, China also has its own tensions with the West, with the recent trade problems and cyber-espionage cases thrown against it. On Monday, the US charged five Chinese army officers with cyber-theft of US trade secrets.