Russia and China flex military muscle as Biden visits Japan

JAPAN scrambled jets after Russian and Chinese bombers conducted a joint military exercise near its airspace during a visit by Joe Biden.

Tokyo was hosting the leaders of China, Australia and India which make up the “Quad” alliance when the planes were identified, said Nobuo Kishi, the defence minister, branding the incident a “provocation”.

It was the first joint military exercise by China and Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine on Feb 24, according to a US official.

“We think it shows that China continues to closely align themselves with Russia, including through military cooperation,” a senior administration official said, adding that such actions must be planned well in advance.

“China is not walking away from Russia. Instead, the exercise shows that China is ready to help Russia defend its east while Russia fights in its west,” the official said.

The joint patrol lasted 13 hours over the Japanese and East China seas and involved Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers and Chinese Xian H-6 jets, the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.

Planes from the Japanese and South Korean air forces shadowed the Russian and Chinese jets for part of the exercise, it said. Tokyo conveyed “grave concerns” to both Russia and China through diplomatic channels, Kishi said at a news conference.

At the Tokyo summit yesterday, the leaders of the “Quad” alliance stressed their strong support for “the principles of freedom, rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes without resorting to threat or use of force, [or] any unilateral attempt to change the status quo”.

The joint statement, made in the shadow of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, comes amid growing concern about whether Beijing could try to forcibly take over democratic Taiwan or other disputed regional islands and territories as it expands its military and economic footprint across the Pacific region.