The Chinese and Russian militaries were spotted operating in the Western Pacific Ocean near Japan and Taiwan, which are United States security allies and partners, on Wednesday.
Newsweek has emailed both the Chinese and Russian defense ministries for comment.
Why It Matters
China, a quasi-ally of Russia, is stepping up its military pressure on Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing has claimed as its territory. The Chinese military continues to operate near Taiwan by sending aircraft and warships for patrols and exercises on a daily basis.
Japan, which has signed a security treaty with the U.S., is concerned tensions between China and Taiwan could jeopardize its southwestern islands.
What To Know
The Japanese Defense Ministry on Thursday reported that two unknown types of Chinese drone flew over the waters off Taiwan's northeast and east coasts the previous day.
The drones were operating near Japan's southwestern islands, including one that transited the 67-mile-wide Yonaguni Gap, between Taiwan's east coast and Japan's westernmost island of Yonaguni, from the Philippine Sea to the East China Sea.
The Japanese air force scrambled fighter aircraft to prevent an incursion of the country's airspace. Both Chinese drones were tracked returning to China at the end of their flights.
The Taiwanese Defense Ministry reported that a total of 27 Chinese military aircraft, including drones, were detected flying around the island in the 24 hours to 6 a.m. local time on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Japanese navy on Wednesday spotted a group of three Russian vessels transiting the waters between Japan's Yonaguni Island and Iriomote Island as they headed southward from the East China Sea to the Philippine Sea, Japan's defense ministry said.
The vessels were two corvettes, the Rezky and the Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov, as well as a fleet oiler, the Pechenga, which departed the Far Eastern naval base in the city of Vladivostok for a deployment in the Asia-Pacific region.
The same Russian flotilla was tracked by Japan on Monday when it sailed southward from the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea in South Korea, to the East China Sea.
What People Are Saying
The Pentagon's Chinese military power report read: "Since 2022, the [Chinese People's Liberation Army] has increased its military presence around Taiwan, primarily in the air and naval domains, and through named exercises that serve to punish Taipei for perceived provocations."
Then-Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara wrote in a 2024 Defense White Paper: "China has been rapidly building up military capabilities while intensifying its activities in the East China Sea...as well as in the Pacific...Russia has also been observed engaging in joint activities with China involving aircraft and vessels."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether China and Russia have coordinated their deployments in the Western Pacific Ocean. Japan and Taiwan form the first island chain with the Philippines under a U.S. defense concept that seeks to contain adversaries' military activities.
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