BEIJING, August 14. /TASS/. China demands that Japan stop taking useless measures hindering joint patrols by the Chinese and Russian military in the region, Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesman Wu Qian said.
"The Japanese side was tracking China and Russia’s ship movements from a close range and this is very dangerous," he said, commenting on a recent incident in the Sea of Japan. "We insist that Japan stop creating such obstacles which have absolutely no practical meaning," he added.
The military official stressed that while conducting joint patrols, China and Russia strictly adhere to the norms of international law.
Wu specified that Tokyo should refrain from "irresponsible actions and statements which impact the healthy development of Sino-Japanese relations." He noted that by doing so, Japan undermines peace and stability in the region.
In June, Russia’s Aerospace Forces and China’s People's Liberation Army Air Force conducted joint aerial patrols over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, as well as the western part of the Pacific Ocean. In July, the two countries held the Northern/Interaction-2023 drills in the Sea of Japan and at the end of the month, Russian and Chinese navies launched joint patrols of the Pacific. A detachment of ships from both countries has crossed the Sea of Japan, the La Perouse Strait, the Sea of Okhotsk, the Kamchatka Strait and the Bering Sea and headed to the northern part of the Pacific toward the coast of Alaska.