International Allies Respond to China and Russia's Provocative Military Flights

US allies South Korea and Japan scrambled fighter jets in response to joint patrols by Chinese and Russian strategic bombers. The patrols, the seventh of their kind, demonstrate growing security collaboration between Moscow and Beijing. The flights took place in international airspace but were seen as a pointed display at the US and its Asian allies. Russia's Defense Ministry described the exercise as a demonstration of collective military strength, while China's Foreign Ministry called it routine and consistent with international law. The Russia-China partnership has been growing, with Russia loosening restrictions on defense exports to China and the two countries engaging in joint military exercises.