Russian and Chinese military aircraft have carried out joint exercises to patrol the Asia-Pacific region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday, at the conclusion of a trip by US President Joe Biden to Asia that angered Beijing.
The joint patrol lasted 13 hours over the Japan and East China Seas and involved Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers and Chinese Xian H-6 jets, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Japan’s defense minister called the exercise a provocation, while a US official said it reveals the depth of the two countries’ cooperation.
Planes from the Japanese and South Korean air forces followed Russian and Chinese jets for part of the exercise, according to the Russian ministry.
Japan dispatched jets after Russian and Chinese warplanes approached its airspace as Tokyo hosted the leaders of the Quad group of countries that includes the United States, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said.
Tokyo conveyed “grave concerns” to Russia and China through diplomatic channels, Kishi told a news conference.
He characterized the incident as a likely provocation by Beijing and Moscow on a day when Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australia’s newly elected leader Anthony Albanese were meeting in Tokyo.
“We believe the fact that this action was taken during the Quad summit makes it more provocative than in the past,” he said, adding that it was the fourth such incident since November.
China’s Ministry of Defense confirmed the joint air patrol over the Sea of Japan, East China Sea and Western Pacific and called it part of an annual military exercise.
The move marks the first joint military exercise by China and Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, according to a US official, and took place at the end of Biden’s trip.
Source: CNN Brasil
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