Russia, China Force US Ally to Scramble Jets in Far East
As the global order continues to strain under the heavy weight of Vladimir Putin’s belligerence, there appear to be several new alliances growing in the far-flung corners of the globe – some of which could lead the US into a tough diplomatic space in the coming years.
One of the latest such instances of global disorder has been the reinvigorating of China’s relationship with Russia, as the two massive authoritarian nations attempt to bring the focus of the entire world to their space.
And, of course, it wouldn’t be a China-Russia alliance without some high drama.
South Korea said it has scrambled fighter jets after detecting two Chinese and six Russian warplanes in its air defence zone.
The two Chinese H-6 bombers repeatedly entered and left the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone (KADIZ) off the southern and northeast coast at around 5:50am local time, the country’s military said.
They returned hours later from the Sea of Japan with the Russian warplanes – including TU-95 bombers and SU-35 fighter jets – and left after 18 minutes in the zone.
“Our military dispatched air force fighter jets ahead of the Chinese and Russian aircraft’s entry of the KADIZ to implement tactical measures in preparation for a potential contingency,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
In addition:
Japan also scrambled fighter jets after the Chinese bombers flew from the East China Sea into the Sea of Japan, where they were joined by two Russian drones, its defence ministry said later.
China has been repeatedly threatening to invade Taiwan – a move that appears to be have been emboldened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the somewhat tepid global response.