Joint China-Russia air patrol not targeted at third party, China's Defense Ministry says

China's Defense Ministry on Thursday said that a joint China-Russia air strategic patrol operation conducted over the Bering Sea was not targeted at any third party.

The ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said in a news conference in Beijing the patrol was conducted in accordance with the annual cooperation plan between the Chinese and Russian militaries.

"This marks the eighth air strategic patrol organized by the two militaries since 2019, further testing and enhancing the level of cooperation between the air forces of the two countries, and deepening the strategic alignment and practical cooperation," he said.

"This operation is not directed at any third party, complies with relevant international laws and practices, and is unrelated to the current international and regional situation."

The North American Aerospace Defense Command released a statement on Wednesday night local time, saying that it detected, tracked and intercepted four Russian and Chinese military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone on Wednesday.

The intercept was conducted by NORAD fighter jets from the United States and Canada, it said.

The statement said that the Russian and Chinese warplanes remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace, noting their actions were not seen as a threat.