Joe Biden was taunted by China and Russia fleet that sailed past the Japan Strait for the first time. The tempo in the Indo-Pacific has sped up after the US has decided to pivot to Asia after its loss in Afghanistan.
Japan has taken the slack of fronting a defensive strategy of Taiwan as the Biden administration is roping in the UK and Australia, as more players in a possible Taiwan invasion. But, Japan has problems of its own with the Senkakus and the areas contested by Russia.
Chinese, Russian forces deploys vessels in Japan Strait
The fleet with Russian and Chinese vessels totaled 10 in all when it passed the Japan Strait a bit close to the Japanese home islands, and the US is alarmed by Beijing's new military capability, the Express UK.
According to Tokyo, last Monday, the two-nation group of vessels was in military maneuvers in the Tsugaru Strait. One of the first instances that officials in Japan have confirmed such a large group of 10 vessels operating in international waters. They were seen in the Japan Sea and the Pacific in waters demarcating national boundaries.
Yoshihiko Isozaki, Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, said the combined fleet of Chinese and Russian vessels are being monitored in their area, cited the Taipei Times. He added they would continue to do surveillance in their territorial waters and airspace in Japan.
According to a Japanese Defence Ministry spokesperson, the ships had not breached any boundaries or international laws that either nation violated. Having Joe Biden taunted by the China and Russia fleet is to see how Washington reacts.
This act of cooperation by the other two superpowers shows their determination to form a bloc directed at the current US administration. Recently, the USS Chafee was accused of unsafe operations when it got close to the Admiral Tributs, noted the Hindustan Times.
The naval forces of China and Russia had their drills in the Sea of Japan from October 14 to 17.
The vessels involved in the Japanese-Russian fleet
Beijing said the ships included are two destroyers, one submarine, and two corvettes were the ones that cooperated with Moscow in the exercise.
According to the Russian defense ministry, the joint force exercised firing at targets and conducted air-defense rehearsals with Soviet fighter jets and helicopters. This exercise came after Beijing reportedly fired an arching hypersonic missile in the atmosphere that took the US aback.
Last July, another launch by the PLA was a nuclear-ready rocket that caused US intelligence to notice the CCP, which may have been less attentive.
The hypersonic vehicle can have Mach 5+ speed and be programmed for low earth orbit. However, it missed its intended target. But officials in Beijing had said it was a routine space launch, not a weapon-related, as told the BBC.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that Washington is monitoring Chinese development of better weaponry. He added that those weapons were making it hard to lessen tension and causing problems in the region.
Biden's administration will not attend a summit sponsored by Vladimir Putin this Wednesday due to logistical problems the US cannot join.
Joe Biden taunted by the China and Russian fleet getting too close to Tokyo is a sign of a push back by Putin and Xi to possibly further humiliate the White House to its allies.
Related Article: China Accomplished Launch of Hypersonic Glide Vehicle Into Orbit While the US Develops the Technology, Challenges the Biden Administration
