Chinese and Russian Nuclear Capable Bombers Conduct Joint Pacific Patrols: U.S. and Allies Concerned

China and Russia conducted a joint patrol flight over the Western Pacific on December 22nd, with such operations having represented a new level of cooperation between the two powers since they first began in 2019. The latest patrol notably follows remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin in October that the a Sino-Russian military alliance could not bee ruled out, with defence ties continuing to improve as both face considerable Western pressure on the military, economic and information warfare fronts. Six combat aircraft were involved in the patrol including two Russian Tu-95 intercontinental range heavy strategic bombers and four Chinese H-6K medium weight theatre bombers. These aircraft are both heavily modernised variants of aircraft which first entered service in the early 1950s, with most Tu-95s which serve today having been produced in the 1990s and most active H-6s produced after the turn of the century. 

Growing Sino-Russian cooperation has been cited as a major security threat by Western powers and many of their partners, with China also moving to strengthen defence ties with Iran and with its sole treaty ally North Korea. The patrols have notably been intercepted in the past by South Korean and Japanese aircraft, with Japan launching F-15 heavyweight fighters on December 22nd in response to the bombers’ presence over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. The U.S. for its part has seen the balance of power in the Western Pacific region turn against its favour, and has sought to reverse this trend by cementing defence ties with India, Australia and Japan in particular under the QUAD framework, which many in Washington have expressed hopes will evolve into a NATO-type alliance to ensure the power balances in East Asia and the Indian Ocean both continue to favour Western interests.