The coordinated Russian and Chinese bomber flights last Wednesday off the coast of Alaska were “not seen as a threat” but did, indicates U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, raise “concerns” about growing military cooperation between the two countries.
The nonthreatening bombers “were tracked and intercepted by U.S. and Canadian fighter jets,” reports Associated Press (July 26, 2024).
China and Russia both acknowledged what they called a joint patrol over the Bering Sea, which divides Russia and Alaska.
Their growing military relationship has triggered concerns both among NATO allies and with nations in the Asia-Pacific. NATO allies have called China a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine through its “no-limits partnership” with Russia and its large-scale support for Russia’s defense industrial base.
The allies issues a sternly worded statement, approved by the 32 members at their summit in Washington earlier this month….
The joint patrol tested and improved coordination between the two air forces, said Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for China’s Defense Ministry. He said it was the eighth joint strategic air patrol since 2019. He declined to comment when asked if it was the first such patrol over the Bering Sea.
Russia has “long been active in the north Pacific.” It is China’s presence in recent years that is novel and a sign of PRC determination to expand its military reach.
In December 2023, Russian and Chinese warplanes had also been seen “over the waters between Japan and Korea.”
