China and Russia conducted a joint air patrol over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea on Tuesday for the sixth time since 2019.
China-Russia Military Patrols Provoking South Korea, Japan
China’s Defence Ministry said the patrol was part of the two militaries’ annual cooperation plan.
South Korea scrambled its own jets after four Russian and four Chinese military aircraft entered its air defence zone in the east and south of the Korean peninsula.
Similarly, during Russia and China’s last joint aerial patrol in November, South Korea was forced to scramble fighter jets after Chinese H-6K bombers, Russian TU-95 bombers, and SU-35 fighter jets entered its Air Defence Identification Zone (KADIZ).
Japan also recently scrambled its jets after spotting Russian aircraft off its coast on 25 May.
In their May 2022 patrols, Chinese and Russian warplanes neared Japanese airspace as Tokyo hosted a Quad summit — a security grouping that aims to counter Chinese aggression in the region — with the US, India, and Australia’s leaders. China defended the move saying that the flights were not directed at third parties.
The air forces of #China and #Russia conducted the sixth joint aerial strategic patrol in the airspace over the waters of the Sea of Japan and East China Sea on Tuesday, according to a statement released by China's Ministry of National Defense, in accordance with the China-Russia… pic.twitter.com/y47waODcSk
— China Daily (@ChinaDaily) June 6, 2023
Counter Drills
China’s increasing military assertiveness in the region has raised concern among its neighbours, as well as in the West, including in the US. In this light, the US and its allies have also ramped up military manoeuvres and drills in the Asia-Pacific.
Last week, the coast guards of the US, Japan, and the Philippines participated in their first trilateral naval exercise in the South China Sea.
Recent Tensions
Only this weekend, the Pentagon posted a video taken from the deck of the US Burke-class Aegis destroyer, which showed a Chinese ship cutting across USS Chung-Hoon’s bow, prompting the US vessel to steer to the left.
In response, the US slammed China for its “unsafe and unprofessional” manoeuvres in the volatile Taiwan Strait.
Prior to the incident, the Pentagon said that, on 26 May, an American Boeing RC-135 was forced to retreat after being hit by intentional turbulence caused by a Chinese jet while conducting a routine mission in the region.