Russia and China reportedly begin joint air and sea drills in Sea of Japan

Alexander Pease

Contributor to the Daily Caller

Russia and China are reportedly teaming up and carrying out joint air and sea drills in the Sea of Japan Sunday, according to Reuters.

A Chinese naval fleet reportedly set sail to join Russian Navy vessels as well as Kremlin air assets to carry out exercises in the Sea of Japan as part of a mutual interest in “safeguarding the security of strategic waterways,” Reuters reported, citing a statement issued by China’s defense ministry. China sent out a total of five warships as well as four ship-borne helicopters to join the Russian military. The codename for the combined operations is North/ Interaction-2023:

This is the sixth time Russian and

Chinese militaries have patrolled the area since 2019, according to The Moscow Times.

The weekend exercises mark the first time that both Russian air and sea military branches have engaged with Chinese maritime defense forces bilaterally.

The Chinese and Russian navies have been recently functioning in conjunction with each other regularly. Earlier this year the United States Coast Guard unexpectedly came across a joint drill carried out by the two militaries less than 100 miles off the coast of Alaska in the waters of the Bering Sea.

In February 2022, the Russian and Chinese governments agreed to a strategic partnership geared toward “countering the influence of the United States,” Reuters noted.

“Friendship between the two States has no limits, there are no ‘forbidden’ areas of cooperation,” the two countries stated in a joint press release, according to a separate Reuters report. Beijing and Moscow have elevated their partnership since the war in Ukraine kicked off, describing it as having “no limits.”