China and Russia sent bombers and fighter jets for a “joint strategic air patrol” in airspace over the Sea of Japan, East China Sea and western Pacific on Saturday, according to the Defense Ministry in Beijing.
The ministry said the long-range patrol, the 11th between the two air forces, demonstrated “their resolve and capability to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.”
Japan’s Defense Ministry said it had scrambled fighter jets in response, adding that it had tracked the movements by the Chinese and Russian aircraft — including four Chinese H-6 bombers and two Russian Tu-95 bombers — from Saturday morning through the afternoon. The flight also involved two Russian Tu-142 patrol aircraft, two Chinese J-16 fighter jets and one Russian Su-30 fighter jet.
A map of the aircrafts’ flight path accompanying the ministry’s statement showed that some of the bombers had flown through the Miyako Strait near Okinawa Prefecture and into the western Pacific, south of Shikoku, before returning the way they came.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, speaking at a news conference Sunday following talks in Seoul with his South Korean counterpart, expressed concern at the latest joint patrol.
“These repeated joint bomber flights by the two countries signify an expansion and intensification of activities around Japan, and we cannot help but view them as a strong show of force against our country,” he said.
South Korea also said it had scrambled fighter jets after more than 10 Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered its air defense identification zone the same day, the Yonhap news agency reported. The Chinese and Russian aircraft did not violate South Korean airspace.
China and Russia also conducted a long-range patrol involving bombers and fighter jets in December.
