War in UkraineWorld

Chinese, Russian vessels sailed through Bering Sea together, says US

WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. Coast Guard said it spotted two Russian ships and two Chinese vessels passing through the Bering Sea in formation over the weekend.

In a sign of the growing cooperation between Beijing and Moscow in the Arctic, the Chinese and Russian coast guard ships were spotted about five miles inside the Russian exclusive economic zone in the northernmost location where the U.S. Coast Guard has seen Chinese vessels, it said. The Bering Sea separates Russia from Alaska.

In July, Russian and Chinese bombers flew together for the first time in international airspace off the coast of Alaska. The flights were not seen as a threat, but it was the first time that Chinese bombers had flown within the Alaskan air defense identification zone and the first time Chinese and Russian aircraft had taken off from the same base in northern Russia.

The Chinese coast guard said in a statement that the joint patrol with Russia, which followed a joint drill, was to check fishing boats to maintain order in the North Pacific Ocean, in accordance with a U.N. and international convention. It said the vessels carried out exercises on search and rescue of illegal boats that showed “high efficiency in coordination and cooperation.”

The close relationship between the Chinese and Russian militaries has been a concern in Washington, which has criticized Beijing for supporting Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *