On Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement: From October 17 to October 23, the fleet of Russia and China held its first joint patrol in the western Pacific. Earlier in October, the Combined Chinese-Russian Fleet held a joint exercise in the Sea of Japan, with 10 ships from both sides passing through the Tsugaru Strait between the Japanese islands and Hokkaido islands.
The Russian Defense Ministry gave the claim that as part of the patrol, the group of ships passed through the Tsugaru Strait for the first time , which is international waters.
Naturally, this has also caused high tensions among the relevant japanese parties – but any ship can pass through international waters. A spokesman for Japan's Ministry of Defense said: The passage of these vessels did not violate Japan's territorial waters or international rules.
The Drive said: A formation of 10 Chinese and Russian warships sailed around Japan – the combined fleet first passed through a 19-kilometer-wide strait between Japan's main islands, demonstrating its great power.
In a way, the "circumnavigation of Japan" of the Sino-Russian combined fleet is more like a response to a series of large maritime exercises held by the United States and its allies in the Pacific this year.
In the first half of this year, the United States conducted exercises in the Theodore Roosevelt Aircraft Carrier Strike Group and the Makin Island Amphibious Combat Readiness Group (ARG) near the South China Sea region. The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth also came to join in the fun, and was scared by Russia on the way - I don't know what this conventionally powered aircraft carrier wants to do by sailing half the world to the South China Sea.
At the same time, Russian warships have also wrenched their wrists with the United States in the open and covert, including in one exercise, when the Russian warship was only 34 miles (about 54 kilometers) from Hawaii.
The actions of the Sino-Russian combined fleet also touched a sensitive nerve in Japan. Japan's Defense Ministry said it monitored Chinese and Russian warships sailing west between Smith Island and Bird Island. Located about 300 miles (about 482 kilometers) south of Japan's honshu island, Bird Island entered the Pacific Ocean for the first time on October 18, 2021, crossing the Tsugaru Strait on Honshu Island and Hokkaido Honjima Island to the east.
Japanese authorities also said that the Chinese and Russian fleets have been sailing in international waters, including through the Tsugaru Strait. Named after the Tsugaru Peninsula on this week's island, the Tsugaru Strait is 130 kilometers long from east to west and the Sea of Japan to the east, with a maximum depth of 450 meters.
The northern shore of the Tsugaru Strait is Hokkaido, and the southern shore is Honshu. The Seikan Tunnel, the longest undersea tunnel in the world, is the Tsugaru Strait, which crosses it. The tunnel is 53.85 km long and has 23.3 km at the bottom of the Tsugaru Strait.
While a country's territorial waters can extend up to 12 miles off its coastline, Japan only claims sovereignty over waters 3 miles from each side of the strait. Japan's claim itself is intended to allow nuclear-armed U.S. warships and submarines to pass through the region without violating Japanese law.
The Sino-Russian combined fleet consists of 5 ships from the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy and the Russian Navy, including 1 Type 055 destroyer, 1 Type 052D destroyer, 2 Type 054A frigates, and 1 sea supply ship. Two Udaloy-class destroyers, two Straegushchiy-class frigates, and one identified marshal Nedelin-class missile range survey ship.
Originally designed to support the Soviet space program, the Marshal Nedlin-class missile range survey ship, which tracks and collects data on missile tests, is now a command ship.
Marshal Krylov is one of the warships of the Russian Pacific Fleet, which in the first half of this year conducted another series of exercises, which are very close to the U.S. Hawaiian Islands.
Japan's Cabinet Cabinet Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shin Isozaki said after the Chinese and Russian warships passed through the Tsuru Strait: "This is the first time that the Sino-Russian combined fleet has jointly sailed through the Tsugaru Strait. The Japanese government is very interested in chinese and Russian warships operating near Japan. ”
Japan's Ministry of Defense said it sent P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft to track it, and together they also sent multiple ships to monitor it. At the same time, they also found a Russian Ka-27 helicopter and a Chinese Ka-28 helicopter taking off from the formation warship.
A Ka-27 of the Russian Navy and a Ka-28 of the Chinese Navy
In the patrol of the Sino-Russian combined fleet, it is also the first time that the Type 055 destroyer of the Chinese Navy has been trained with foreign warships. The U.S. military describes it as a cruiser, not a destroyer, and it is also the most modern and capable warship of our navy.
Each Type 055 destroyer is loaded with more than 100 vertical launch system units, which can carry surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles, and other advanced features.
Neither did the United States and its allies, pulling up British, Australian and Japanese ships and planes for a "maritime partnership exercise." Participating vessels include the U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, the Royal Navy's aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, and the Izumo-class JS Kaga of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
It is worth mentioning that Japan has sent the Izumo class, known as the "helicopter destroyer", which can not only take off and land helicopters, but also take off and land modified F-35B fighters.