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Russian, Chinese strategic aircraft flights to fortify mutual confidence, says ministry

On July 23, two Russian Tu-95MCs and two Chinese H-6Ks carried out a scheduled flight mission over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea

BEIJING, August 29. /TASS/. The joint patrolling by Russian and Chinese strategic aircraft is not directed against third countries and will make it possible to consolidate cooperation between the armed forces of the two states. Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, said about it at a briefing on Thursday.

"During the flight the planes of the armed forces of the two countries strictly observed the provisions of international law and did not enter the airspace of other states," he said.

"Relations of strategic partnership and cooperation between China and Russia in the new epoch adhere to the principles of non-alignment to blocks and non-confrontation, nor are directed against third countries. The first air patrolling of China and Russia’s strategic forces increased the level of strategic coordination and cohesion of actions. It also made it possible to consolidate strategic cooperation between the armed forces of the two states and increase their readiness to jointly respond to various security threats. It also made a contribution to the support for global strategic stability," the spokesperson concluded.

On July 23, two Russian strategic bombers Tu-95MC and two Chinese strategic bombers H-6K carried out a scheduled flight mission over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. While passing the routes the planes did not violate other states’ borders. However, the South Korean side stated that the Russian plane entered the republic’s airspace near the Dokdo (Takeshima) islands, which are disputed between Seoul and Tokyo, in the Sea of Japan. In response, South Korea’s fighters F-15 and F-16 were scrambled. It was stated that they made warning shots toward the Russian plane.

The Russian Defense Ministry stated, for its part, that South Korea’s fighters made unprofessional maneuvers near the Russian planes, in particular crossed their route. That said, no firing on the Tu-95MC was carried out.