As the world leaders met in Tokyo, Japan, for the Quad Summit 2022, Chinese and Russian fighter jets carried out joint flights over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, Japan's Defence Ministry has claimed, AFP reported.
Japan defence minister Nobuo Kishi on Tuesday said that Tokyo expressed "grave concerns" to Russia and China over the flights, which took place while leaders from the United States, India, Australia and Japan held talks on regional security today in Japan.
Chinese H-6K bombers and Russian Tu-95MS bombers conducted regular joint strategic patrols above the Sea of Japan, East China Sea and West Pacific on Tuesday, Global Time reported.
The report mentioned that, however, the aircraft abided by international regulations and did not violate any other country's airspace.
"Two Chinese bombers joined two Russian bombers in the Sea of Japan and made a joint flight to the East China Sea," Kishi told reporters.
"After that, a total of four aircraft, two presumed Chinese bombers and two Russian bombers, conducted a joint flight from the East China Sea to the Pacific Ocean," AFP quoted Kishi as saying.
Kishi, speaking at a news conference that was shown online, said the move by Russia and China was likely a provocation by the two countries at the time of the Quad.
"We communicated through diplomatic routes our grave concerns from the perspective of our country's and the region's security," he said.
Calling the move a cause of concern for Japan and well as other countries,
"As the international community responds to Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the fact that China took such action in collaboration with Russia, which is the aggressor, is cause for concern. It cannot be overlooked," the Japanese defence minister added.
(with AFP inputs)
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