China-Russia Fleets Conduct 'Record-High' Joint Patrol off US Coast, Calling It a "Provocative Move"

China and Russia deployed the largest naval fleet ever for a joint patrol in the Pacific region. These fleets unusually approached waters near the United States, prompting the U.S. to dispatch destroyers and maritime patrol aircraft to conduct surveillance activities.

On the 6th (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing U.S. officials, that 11 Chinese and Russian vessels conducted a joint patrol near the Aleutian Islands in Alaska earlier last week. Experts pointed out that this fleet size is the largest among Chinese and Russian fleets that have approached the U.S. coast.

Brent Sadler, a senior researcher at the Heritage Foundation, described this China-Russia maritime patrol as "an unprecedented event in history," and evaluated it as "a very provocative move considering the Ukraine war and tensions surrounding Taiwan."

The U.S. military dispatched four destroyers, including the Aegis destroyers USS John McCain, USS Benfold, and USS John Finn, along with maritime patrol aircraft to monitor the activities of these fleets.

The U.S. Northern Command, responsible for defending the U.S. mainland, told WSJ, "Our air and maritime assets operated to ensure the defense of the United States and Canada," adding that "(the Russia-China) patrol remained in international waters and was not considered a threat."

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Earlier, China and Russia conducted the 'Northern Joint-2023' exercise from the 20th to the 23rd of last month in the East Sea, mobilizing about 10 warships and 30 military aircraft. They also announced plans for their naval fleets to conduct joint patrols in the western and northern Pacific Ocean. This joint patrol by the two countries' naval fleets is the third, following those in 2021 and 2022.

The Chinese Ministry of National Defense claimed that the joint patrol was not aimed at any third country and was unrelated to international or regional situations, but the U.S. and other Western countries remain on high alert.

China and Russia have recently been rapidly expanding military cooperation in opposition to the U.S. and other Western countries. Especially, as global warming melts sea ice and opens new routes in the Arctic Ocean, the competition for maritime dominance near the Arctic between the West and China-Russia is intensifying, emerging as a new source of conflict.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.