BEIJING -- China's Ministry of National Defense confirmed Monday that the Chinese and US navies conducted their first joint anti-piracy drill in the Gulf of Aden on the same day.

The drill, conducted by the Chinese missile frigate Yiyang and the US guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill, lasted for more than five hours, the ministry said.

The drill was praised by the Chinese side as being conducive to increasing mutual understanding and trust between the two navies and deepening bilateral cooperation in non-conventional security fields.