In the northern hemisphere, the sky is in turmoil. Russian and Chinese bombers conducted a joint patrol on Thursday, July 25, at the junction between the Asian and American continents, not far from the state of Alaska, without violating foreign airspace, according to Moscow, nor targeting “a third party,” according to Beijing. The aircraft were intercepted by American and Canadian planes, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) said. “This was the first time that the militaries of the two countries entered the area at the same time,” a U.S. defense official told the specialized media outlet Air & Space Forces Magazine.
According to a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry, “a group consisting of TU-95MS strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces and Xian H-6K strategic bombers of the Chinese Air Force conducted a joint patrol over the Chukchi Sea, the Bering Sea and the northern part of the Pacific Ocean.”
China, for its part, said the joint patrol with Russia near Alaska was not aimed at “a third party.” “This action is in line with international law and has nothing to do with the current international and regional situation,” Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang reiterated, adding that the patrol aims to “test and improve the level of cooperation between the two air forces.”
A patrol of more than five hours
The Russian ministry said that “foreign government fighters” accompanied the group “on some stages of the journey” and that the patrol lasted more than five hours. “During the flight, the Russian and Chinese crews, in a new zone of joint operations, worked on issues related to cooperation at all stages of an air patrol,” the Russian ministry said.
Earlier, Norad, which is made up of Canada and the United States, stressed that American and Canadian fighters spotted and intercepted two Russian TU-95s and two Chinese H-6s. The bombers “did not enter U.S. or Canadian airspace” and their activity was “not considered a threat,” Norad added.
“Today’s intrusion of Chinese H-6 Badger strategic bombers near the Aleutian Islands chain off the coast of Alaska is the first incident where a Chinese Air Force aircraft has entered Alaska’s air defense identification zone,” Christophe Tymowski, editor at the X network, reacted. Swiss military review.
It should be noted that interceptions of Russian aircraft are relatively frequent in this area. Moscow and Beijing, allies against the West, now regularly carry out this type of joint exercises in other areas of the Pacific. Strategic bombers are capable of carrying out nuclear and conventional strikes over long distances.
China and Russia, strategic allies
Russia announced on Sunday that it had dispatched fighter jets to prevent two US strategic bombers from crossing its border over the Barents Sea in the Arctic. The Pentagon warned on Monday, July 22, against increased cooperation between Russia and China in the Arctic, as its strategic importance is attracting increasing attention “not only as a potential flashpoint between the United States and Russia, but also as a maritime passage connecting the Asia-Pacific and Europe, opening up as climate change melts the ice,” recalls the English-language media published in Hong Kong, South China Morning Post.
In its Arctic policy published in 2018, China declared itself a “near-Arctic state.” “Since then, Beijing has sought to expand its presence in the far north, with Chinese and Russian aircraft entering Alaska’s ADIZ amid growing military ties between the two countries,” the site continues.
Moscow and Beijing, allies who have further strengthened their ties since the Russian assault on Ukraine, display a common ambition to counter American influence in Europe and Asia. “The close relationship between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin means that China will continue to work with its Russian partner,” analyzed in L’Express Abigaël Vasselier, director of the “External Relations” program at the Mercator Institute for Chinese Studies (Mérics).
Indeed, the Middle Kingdom is providing military support to its Russian neighbor, which worries NATO. “China is decisively helping Russia in its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine,” denounced its Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, “Ninety percent of Russian imports of microelectronics, essential for the production of missiles, tanks and aircraft, came from China in 2023, according to U.S. officials.” China also supplied nitrocellulose, a compound used to make explosives, as well as satellite imagery that Moscow used to invade Ukraine.