BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)
US and Canadian fighter jets intercepted two Russian TU-95 and two Chinese H-6 aircraft in International airspace by scrambled off the coast of Alaska on Wednesday to monitor their activities.
NORAD posits that the activity was “not seen as a threat”, and Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang stated that the activity “is not directed at any third party, complies with international law and practices, and is unrelated to the current international and regional situation.”
Why it matters
Joint patrols by the Chinese and Russian militaries are not new, as this is their ninth since 2019 according to the PRC, but the growing cooperation between the two countries in the Arctic, as highlighted by U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, underscores the strategic importance of the region amid changing environmental conditions and geopolitical dynamics. China is increasingly paying attention to the Arctic, and it’s clearly now a distinct agenda to extend their influence into the region.
The critical aspect of this is the growing cooperation of our two most significant adversaries. Defense officials still believe that the military cooperation is still fairly superficial, but it’s not the event itself, it’s the trend. We have to remember: Russia now financially relies very heavily upon China for its exports of energy, in particular natural gas, in the wake of Western sanctions due to the war in Ukraine. These are just signs of greater cooperation between the two giants. The US believes defense cooperation is still limited, but the trend of cooperation between Russia and China may mean that will one day no longer be the case.
Further Reading
NORAD intercepts Russian, Chinese bombers off Alaskan coast – Washington Post
NORAD Jets Make Rare Intercept Of Russian & Chinese Bombers Near Alaska – ZeroHedge
Stay up to date with other crucial information about geopolitics, economics and more in our Daily Policy Pulse.
