In this group photo released by Russian state news agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend an official welcome ceremony in front of the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on May 16, 2024.
Sergey Bobilev | AFP | Getty Images
Two Chinese and two Russian long-range bombers were tracked flying over international waters near Alaska, and the United States and Canada responded with fighter jets, the two countries’ Joint Aerospace Command said.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said Wednesday’s military activities by China and Russia were not considered a threat. China and Russia confirmed on Thursday that they had conducted joint air patrols in the Bering Sea that separates Russia from Alaska.
“NORAD will continue to monitor competitor activity near North America and respond with presence to presence,” the command said in a release.
While the Russian military has long been active in the North Pacific, China has emerged as a new player in recent years as its growing navy and air force expand its presence far from the country’s shores.
The Russian Defense Ministry said joint patrol aircraft also flew over the Chukchi Sea on the north side of the Bering Strait. The Defense Ministry said Russian fighter jets and strategic bombers took part in the more than five-hour exercise along with Chinese strategic bombers.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said the joint patrols tested and improved coordination between the two countries’ air forces. He said this is the eighth joint strategic air patrol since 2019.
NORAD said it spotted two Chinese H-6 and two Russian Tupolev Tu-95 bombers in the North American Air Defense Identification Zone, which is outside U.S. and Canadian airspace and is used by those countries for national security reasons. The cause requires identification of the aircraft.
Photos released by the Russian Ministry of Defense show a Russian Su-30 fighter jet escorting a Chinese bomber. Another photo posted online by China’s state broadcaster CCTV’s military channel showed Russian and Chinese long-wing bombers flying in parallel formation under blue skies.
The Japanese military is increasingly concerned about the Sino-Russian joint military exercises and their potential threats to Japan and regional security.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said a formation of Russian and Chinese fighter jets, including Tu-95s and H-6s, were seen flying together over the waters between Japan and South Korea in December. At the time, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense called it the seventh joint strategic air patrol with Russia.
Chinese naval vessels have repeatedly appeared in international waters off Alaska, most recently in mid-July when the Coast Guard spotted four vessels in the U.S. exclusive economic zone 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) off the coast.
Zhang described the naval activity as routine combat readiness training and said China would continue to conduct high-sea training to improve its troops’ capabilities.
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