-
19:20
-
18:50
-
18:20
-
17:50
-
17:30
-
17:20
-
17:00
-
16:50
-
16:30
-
16:20
-
16:00
-
15:50
-
15:30
-
15:20
-
15:00
-
14:50
-
14:30
-
14:20
-
14:00
-
13:50
-
13:30
-
13:20
-
13:00
-
12:50
-
12:30
-
12:20
-
12:00
-
11:50
-
11:34
-
11:30
-
11:20
-
11:00
-
10:50
-
10:30
-
10:20
-
10:00
-
09:50
-
09:30
-
09:20
-
09:00
-
08:50
-
08:30
-
08:20
-
08:00
-
07:50
-
07:30
-
07:00
China and Russia strengthen military partnership with joint air patrol over East China Sea
China and Russia conducted a joint strategic air patrol over the East China Sea and the western Pacific, reinforcing their growing military cooperation amid rising regional tensions.
According to China’s defense ministry, the flight formed part of the two nations’ annual cooperation plan and was aimed at improving operational coordination between their air forces. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that seven Russian aircraft and two Chinese planes briefly entered the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone around 10 a.m. local time before exiting after roughly an hour. No violation of South Korean territorial airspace occurred, though South Korean fighter jets were scrambled in response.
Since 2019, Beijing and Moscow have engaged in joint patrols around the Korean Peninsula at least once or twice yearly. The previous operation in November 2024 involved eleven aircraft entering South Korea’s air defense zone. The South China Morning Post reported that four Russian and two Chinese aircraft participated in this week’s mission, including bombers and fighter jets.
The expanded scope of these exercises marks a notable deepening of defense ties between the two powers, which declared a “no limits” partnership in 2022. By mid-2025, both nations had conducted over a hundred joint military exercises, according to data from the ChinaPower Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Chinese officials maintain that the patrols are not directed against any third party, framing them instead as measures to strengthen strategic trust and interoperability. Moscow has described the operations as standard defense cooperation.
Their coordination has increasingly extended beyond East Asia. In July 2024, China and Russia carried out a joint bomber flight near Alaska, their first such mission in that region. Subsequent naval and anti-missile drills throughout 2025 further signaled the evolution of a more synchronized security relationship.
Meanwhile, South Korea continues to express concern over the recurring airspace incursions, urging both nations to provide prior notice and avoid actions that could heighten regional instability.
