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- October 17, 202611°
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- USD49.45+0.05%
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- INTEREST37.00%-1.00
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- October 17, 202611°
China and Russia hold joint air and naval maneuvers near Japan
Chinese and Russian bombers and warships conducted simultaneous air and naval maneuvers near Japan and Taiwan, reinforcing deterrence messages in the Western Pacific.
The People's Liberation Army and the Russian Armed Forces displayed their military presence in the Western Pacific through simultaneous air and naval operations. A joint strategic air patrol conducted along the Sea of Japan, East China Sea, and Western Pacific line, along with warships transiting the Tsushima Strait, presented a new picture regarding the balance of power in the region.
11th Joint Strategic Flight
According to reports in Chinese state media, the number of joint strategic air patrols conducted by the two countries since 2019 has reached 11. Military expert Zhang Xuefeng, in an assessment for Global Times, highlighted two key features of this year's sorties.
Zhang first emphasized the "integrated system approach" integrating bombers, fighter jets, electronic warfare aircraft, early warning, and aerial refueling platforms. Secondly, he stressed the high level of combat readiness achieved through live munitions, advanced radar detection, and jamming capabilities.
Immediate Response from Tokyo and Seoul
According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), Japan and South Korea's air forces quickly scrambled fighter jets in response to the latest joint patrol. The Tokyo administration confirmed that it tracked Chinese H-6 bombers, Russian Tu-95s, and their escorting fighter jets.
It was stated that some aircraft used the vital Miyako Strait, which opens from the East China Sea into the Western Pacific. Seoul announced that over ten Chinese and Russian warplanes entered its air defense identification zone (ADIZ) but did not violate sovereign airspace. This is seen as a calculated move aimed at creating sustained pressure on the legal boundary without triggering direct engagement rules.
Simultaneous Naval Transit in the Tsushima Strait
Remarkable coordination was displayed in the naval dimension. According to SCMP, a group of Type 055 and Type 052D destroyers from the Chinese Navy transited the Tsushima Strait, heading towards the East China Sea. Japan's Defense Ministry reported that Russian Pacific Fleet vessels, which had just completed a four-day technical visit to China's Qingdao port, also made a return passage through the same strait shortly before.
The consecutive use of the same waterways and strategic straits by Chinese and Russian ships, increasing military activity in Japan's nearby waters, is interpreted as an unannounced pattern of operational coordination aimed at joint pressure-building capacity.
Japan's Two-Pronged Strategy
Chinese military sources characterize Japan's reactions around the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning as "exaggerated" responses meant to legitimize a larger military buildup. In contrast, SCMP noted that Tokyo's response is not limited to tactical measures, as it is deepening its security architecture through regional alliances.
Japan's signing of a defense cooperation agreement with Indonesia, talks on transferring used destroyers to the Philippine Navy, and full participation with combat units in the "Balikatan" exercises held by the United States and the Philippines are seen as an effort to embed itself in a broader Trans-Pacific alliance structure extending from Washington to Jakarta and Manila in the Indo-Pacific.
Structural Fragility of the US Fleet
An analysis in Asia Times highlighted a strategic dimension of the deterrence equation, focusing on the "repair gap" crisis in the US Navy. The report warned that the capacity to repair damaged Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in the Indo-Pacific region is far below the requirements of a potential major conflict with China.
Based on data cited from a The War Zone report, which referenced intelligence slides from the theater, China's shipbuilding capacity is 232 times greater than that of the United States. With Washington having only eight major military dry docks, the decline of its logistical fleet in a prolonged war of attrition risks transforming the US into more of a "base defense" force rather than an offensive one on the open seas.
New Deterrence Architecture
According to military and political analyses, the cumulative moves by China and Russia near Japan and Taiwan are part of a long-term deterrence strategy extending beyond temporary sorties. The increased frequency of complex air and naval formations, the use of vital straits, and symbolic coordination between the two navies indicate a "high-intensity" preparedness pattern aimed at forcing rivals to accept higher risk levels on the front lines.
For Beijing and Moscow, these joint flights mean training to perfect force integration in potential conflict zones. For Washington and its allies, they are interpreted as a warning that the deterrence balance in the Western Pacific is being reshaped not just by the number of missiles and aircraft, but by who possesses the industrial and organizational capacity to sustain its fleet at sea and in the air for the longest period.
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