The Chinese and Russian military have carried out their ninth joint air patrol, which, in this case, took place in the airspace of the Sea of Japan. The project is part of a cooperation agreement between the two countries since 2019.
According to the Chinese media platform CCTV, the patrol aims to test and improve joint training and enhance the two air force operational capabilities.
Some of the aircraft involved in the training appeared in the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) of South Korea, after which the country launched its fighter jets. However, Chinese and Russian aircraft left the zone after 4 hours without incident. South Korea underlined that air patrol was organized without alerting the country beforehand.
Despite the fact that, in general, countries demand the identification of the aircraft that enter their ADIZs, these zones are not a part of any sovereign state and some of the ADIZs even overlap.
Chinese National Defense Ministry spokesperson commented on said training and stated that it „does not target any third party and has nothing to do with the current international and regional situations“.
Chinese state-backed media Global Times writes according to a Chinese military expert and underlines the strategic importance of used territories in the program. It states that it is normal when two countries organize patrol on their „doorstep“.
