China and Russia stage first joint bomber patrol near Alaska

Russia and China have staged a joint patrol over the north Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea near the coast of Alaska.

The two countries have carried out several joint patrols in the past, and Russia regularly flies its bombers over the Bering Sea.

But Wednesday's joint patrol was the first that brought together bombers from both countries in the north Pacific area.

Moscow and Beijing said it was "not aimed at any third party", while the US-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said the bombers, which it intercepted, stayed in international airspace and were "not seen as a threat".

But Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski described the event as an "unprecedented provocation by our adversaries", adding that it was "the first time they have been intercepted operating together."

China has said the patrol has "nothing to do with the current international and regional situation".

Russian TU-95MS strategic missile carriers and the Chinese air force's Xian H-6 strategic bombers were deployed, according to Russia.

China and Russia have developed closer ties since Moscow was placed under sanctions by the West following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Any display of deepening cooperation is watched with apprehension by the US and European countries.

Earlier this month, Moscow and Beijing wrapped up their fourth joint naval patrol in the northern and western Pacific Ocean.

Nato countries issued a joint statement at the end of a recent summit in Washington accusing China of being a "decisive enabler" of Russia's war in Ukraine and urging it to "cease all material and political support" to the country's war effort.

In a report on Arctic security published on Monday, the US Department of Defence expressed concern over the two countries' "growing alignment", and predicted that their military cooperation would continue to increase.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected this, saying Russian-Chinese cooperation in the Arctic could only contribute to an atmosphere of "stability and predictability" in the area.