Login to Continue Learning
A fleet of Russian and Chinese warships has moved closer to Alaska during a joint patrol in the Asia-Pacific region, challenging the United States’ military dominance. Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Northern Command via email for comment, but neither the Russian nor Chinese foreign ministries responded.
### Why It Matters
Russia and China have deepened their military ties under their “no limits” strategic partnership. They previously deployed various military assets—including naval vessels, strategic bombers, and coast guard ships—for joint patrols around Alaska, outside America’s sovereign airspace and waters, which extend up to 13.8 miles from the coastline.
The presence of Russian and Chinese navies near Alaska coincides with China sending five research vessels to Arctic waters around the state. This also comes ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting in Alaska on Friday, where they are expected to discuss a ceasefire in the Ukraine war.
### What To Know
According to the Russian Pacific Fleet, Russian and Chinese naval vessels tasked with a joint patrol arrived at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, near the eastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. The ships were docked in Avacha Bay, approximately 575 miles from Attu Island, which is part of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands chain.
The ships will continue to sail along a “pre-approved patrol route” in the near future. The patrol flotilla included the Chinese destroyer CNS Shaoxing and supply ship CNS Qiandaohu, as well as the Russian destroyer Admiral Tributs. They were spotted transiting off northern Japan on Friday after departing Vladivostok.
Main tasks of the patrol involved conducting maritime surveillance and protecting Russian and Chinese “maritime economic activities,” according to the Russian Pacific Fleet.
Earlier this month, the Russian and Chinese navies conducted the Joint Sea 2025 exercise near Vladivostok. Beijing stated that the war game was an arrangement within their annual cooperation plan and not targeted at any third party.
### What People Are Saying
The Russian Pacific Fleet reported: “The first joint Russian-Chinese naval patrol in the Asia-Pacific region took place in 2021 and has been held annually since then.”
Jiang Bin, a spokesperson for China’s Defense Ministry, stated during a press conference on Friday: “The Joint Sea exercise is an institutionalized cooperation program between the Chinese and Russian navies. Since its inception in 2012, the exercise has been held 10 times and has become a key platform for China-Russia military cooperation.”
### What Happens Next
It remains unclear whether the U.S. Navy or the U.S. Coast Guard has deployed ships or aircraft around Alaska in response to the Russian and Chinese joint naval patrol.
