China and Russia held their first joint military drill since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and includes nuclear-capable bombers amid United States President Joe Biden's visit to East Asia.
The exercises are seen to be a show of force as the Democratic U.S. president was meeting with leaders from the region, said American, South Korean, and Japanese officials. The U.S. government was tracking the military exercise as Biden met in Tokyo with leaders of Australia, Japan, and India.
China and Russia's Joint Military Exercise
The three nations are part of the so-called Quad coalition that was formed in part to counter China's power in the Indo-Pacific region. The joint military activity was a significant sign that the partnership between the two superpowers of the world has not weakened despite the three-month-old war in Ukraine that has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths.
The bombers flew over the Sea of Japan on early Tuesday and continued to fly south toward the East China Sea and the Philippines Sea. The route of the aircraft was laid out by a senior American official during an interview where he spoke under the condition of anonymity, as per the New York Times.
South Korea later issued a statement confirming the exercise, adding that two Chinese military aircraft and four Russian warplanes entered its air defense identification zone off the nation's east coast without intruding into its airspace. Joint exercises involving strategic bombers are known to be complex procedures and are planned well in advance.
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The American official also said that several U.S. agencies had evidence that Chinese naval vessels most likely took part in the country's joint military exercise with Russia. The South Korean military deployed fighter jets before the Chinese and Russian bombers entered the zone and "took tactical measures to guard against emergencies."
According to Fox News, the U.S. official argued that the exercise shows that China was continuing its military cooperation with Russia despite Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. He added that it shows Russia will stand with China in the East and South China Seas and not with other Indo-Pacific states.
Biden's Trip to East Asia
In a Telegram post, Russia's Ministry of Defense said that "a group of Tu-95ms Strategic Missile Carriers of the Russian Aerospace Forces and Xian H-6 Strategic Bombers of the [Chinese] Air Force conducted air patrol over the waters of the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea."
The ministry added that the flight time of the Russian strategic missile carriers was roughly 13 hours. It noted that at certain stages of the route, the strategic missile carriers were escorted by F-2 of the South Korean Air Force and F-15 of the Japanese Air Force. On Tuesday, Russia also said that there were no "violations of foreign airspace."
The joint military exercises occurred hours after Biden seemingly angered China by saying that the U.S. military would be deployed to defend Taiwan against any aggression. The Democratic president also discussed potential responses to Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine with leaders of the Quad, Reuters reported.
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