According to the Russian defense ministry, Russian and Chinese air forces participated in joint military exercises in the Asia-Pacific region. This was done in an effort by Moscow and Beijing to present a united front against an increasingly hostile West.
In a statement, the ministry said, “The Russian Air Force and the Air Force of the People’s Liberation Army of China conducted another joint air patrol in the Asia-Pacific region.”
According to the statement, the Chinese Xian H-6 and Russian TU-95 strategic missile carriers hovered over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea for eight hours.
Putin has sought to strengthen ties with Asia, particularly with China, after becoming a pariah in the West following the offensive in Ukraine.
The ministry stated, “For the first time in the history of air patrols, Chinese aircraft landed on the territory of the Russian Federation and Russian planes landed in the People’s Republic of China.”
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According to the statement, the exercises were carried out “not directed against third countries” and “in strict compliance with international law.”
Both Beijing and Moscow want to challenge the US-led global order, so Moscow wants to find common ground with Beijing.
China has rejected providing Russia with weapons despite a “no-limit” friendship and has not condemned Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.
The United States, China, and Russia all view the Asia-Pacific as a crucial region.
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The United States has had to strike a balance between its efforts in Asia, where it wants to discourage China, such as in Taiwan, and Ukraine, where it wants to respond to Russia’s actions.
At the G20 summit two weeks ago, China’s Xi Jinping met with his US counterpart Joe Biden to promise to tone down the rhetoric and work to close the gap between the two powers, despite their growing rivalry.
Source: AFP
