Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that Russia and China would respond, and not just politically, if the United States deployed missiles in Japan.
The Japan Times reported on September 7 that the United States had expressed interest in deploying the medium-range Typhoon missile system in Japan for joint military exercises.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of Defense announced on Monday that it will conduct joint naval and air exercises with Russia, starting this month.
The ministry said the “United North 2024” exercises would be held in the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk to the north, but gave no details.
The Russian military will send naval and air forces to participate in China’s drills in the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk in September, China’s Xinhua news agency reported.
Xinhua added that the maneuvers aim to enhance “the level of strategic coordination between the Chinese and Russian militaries and enhance their ability to jointly respond to security threats.”
The notice also said the two navies would sail together in the Pacific, the fifth time they have done so, and participate together in Russia’s “Great Ocean 24” maneuvers.
China and Russia have grown closer in recent years, promoting their friendship as “without borders,” even as they share hostile relations with NATO.
NATO leaders have previously said that China has become an “enabler” for Moscow in Ukraine, prompting Beijing to warn the alliance against “provoking confrontation.”
China insists it is not a party to the Ukraine war, but it has been criticised by Western leaders for providing political and economic support to Russia, including in trade in goods for civilian and military uses.
#Russia #China #plan #respond #missile #deployment #Japan
