WASHINGTON, April 10. /TASS/. The Pentagon believes that growing military-technical cooperation between Russia, China and North Korea complicates the situation in the Asia-Pacific region and threatens US security, US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) chief Samuel Paparo said.
"Russia's growing military cooperation with China, including joint exercises in the Pacific, adds another layer of complexity to the Indo-Pacific security environment," said the text of the commander's open statement prepared for a hearing before the US Senate Committee on Armed Services. "Their combined operations demonstrate increasing sophistication that potentially complicates USINDOPACOM response options in a crisis," the defense official emphasized.
"The deepening cooperation between China, Russia, and North Korea threatens to exacerbate and accelerate security challenges in the Indo-Pacific, degrading safety and security and accelerating existing tensions and disputes in the region," Paparo pointed out. "Together, these countries’ growing ties create a complex, interconnected challenge to US national security and regional stability," he noted.
Paparo also said that "Russia has significantly modernized its Pacific Fleet since 2021 with particular growth of its submarine fleet." According to him, the Pacific Fleet received "seven new submarines over the last three years." "Additionally, Russian maritime operations have expanded geographically into the Bering Sea," the defense official underscored.
Russia and China have repeatedly stated that their military-technical cooperation is not directed against third countries.