China and Russia Conduct Joint Air Patrols Near Japan and Korea, Raising Concerns.

Russian and Chinese bombers conducted their first joint mission since November over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, while the Russian Pacific Fleet began a series of exercises in the same area. The joint bomber formation was intercepted by fighters from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force Western Air District, while South Korea also scrambled fighters in response to the aircraft. The U.S., Russian, and Chinese warships are involved in a joint multilateral exercise in the Makassar Strait under the aegis of the Indonesian Navy.