Russia and China have conducted joint patrols in the North Pacific and the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska.
The two countries have conducted numerous joint patrols in the past, and Russian bombers regularly fly over the Bering Sea.
But Wednesday’s joint patrol was the first joint patrol by bombers from both countries in the North Pacific.
Moscow and Beijing said it was “not targeting any third party”, while the US-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said the intercepted bomber remained in international airspace and was “not considered a threat”.
But Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski described the incident as “an unprecedented provocation by our adversaries,” adding that it was “the first time they have been intercepted and operated together.”
China said the patrol had “nothing to do with the current international and regional situation”.
According to Russia, the Russian TU-95MS strategic missile carrier and the Chinese Air Force’s Xi’an H-6 strategic bomber were deployed.
Since Moscow was sanctioned by the West for its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Sino-Russian relations have developed closer.
Earlier this month, Moscow and Beijing concluded their fourth joint naval patrol in the North and Western Pacific.
NATO countries issued a joint statement at the end of a recent summit in Washington, accusing China of being the “decisive promoter” of Russia’s war in Ukraine and urging China to “cease all material and political support for the country’s war efforts.”
In an Arctic security report released on Monday, the U.S. Department of Defense expressed concern about the two countries’ “growing alliance” and predicted that military cooperation between the two countries will continue to strengthen.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied this, saying Russian-Chinese cooperation in the Arctic would only help create a “stable and predictable” atmosphere in the region.
