This is another sign of pressure exerted by the two allies in Tokyo as relations with Ukraine and Taiwan deteriorate, the American network CNN comments.
At least eight Russian and Chinese warships have been spotted by Japanese authorities near the Asian country’s territorial waters. This is another sign of pressure exerted by the two allies in Tokyo as relations with Ukraine and Taiwan deteriorate, the American network CNN comments.
The Japanese Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that Japanese forces had located five Russian warships (including Admiral Panteleyev in the photo below), led by a destroyer, in Tsushima Strait, separating Japan from South Korea.
The Russian fleet of five ships has been close to Japanese islands for a week, from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south, the ministry said in a press release.
At the same time, CNN reports, at least two Chinese warships and a merchant ship were spotted in the Izu Islands, about 500 kilometers from the capital Tokyo. One of these ships appears to be the Lhasa (center photo), a Type 55 guided missile destroyer and one of China’s most powerful surface ships.
The Japanese ministry said the ships were operating close to Japan from 12 June.
“It’s an obvious show “from Russia and China,” said a political analyst at Temple University in Tokyo. “These activities are a major source of concern for Japan,” he said.
It is not specified, however if the Russian and Chinese warships coordinate their actions, as in October 2021, when a total of 10 Russian and Chinese ships conducted a joint exercise, in which they bypassed the Japanese archipelago.
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