The air forces of Russia and China carried out a new mission Joint patrol in the Asia-Pacific region, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday. According to the official statement published on Telegram, it is a group of Tu-95MS missile carrier aircraft and Hong-6K strategic bombers It flew over the waters of the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
The maneuvers lasted approx eight hoursthey had constant air cover. For that Russian Su-30SM and Su-35S aircraft took turns with Chinese Jian-16 fighterswho accompanied the route in various stages.
The Russian Defense Ministry assured that the planes of both countries “operated in strict accordance with international law” and that no violations of other states’ airspace were detected. After completing the mission, all units returned to their bases.
According to Moscow, the activity is part of the military cooperation plan for 2025 and 2025 “is not directed against third countries”. However, the patrol sparked an immediate response in the region.
China defended the operation, saying it demonstrated the joint ability to “maintain peace” but acknowledged it was the 10th joint strategic patrol by both militaries. Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang stressed that the mission strengthens both countries’ ability to “meet security challenges” and their “determination” to protect regional stability.
Tokyo, on the other hand, expressed a “serious concern” and reported that Russian Tu-95MS “nuclear-capable” bombersChinese H-6 aircraft and a dozen fighters from both countries flew in formation near the Japanese archipelago. The situation prompted the Self-Defense Forces to deploy combat aircraft. For Japan, this is an “expansion and intensification” of military activities around its territory.
The Japanese government summoned Chinese Ambassador Wu Jinghao to lodge a formal protest.
The relationship between the two countries was already tense for another recent incident: Tokyo claimed that two Chinese fighter jets pointed their fire control radars at Japanese planes, an accusation Beijing flatly denied and called “disinformation.”
This new joint patrol complements growing military cooperation between China and Russia, which in recent weeks has included missile defense exercises on Russian territory and new strategic security consultations in Moscow.
The climate is made even more sensitive by tensions that arose following statements by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who suggested that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could justify the intervention of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces. Beijing responded with a series of economic and cultural pressure measures, including travel warnings and a ban on imports of Japanese seafood.
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