The Cruise of Chinese and Russian warships around Japan shocked the United States and Japan, Russian media: it is an important preventive shot that returns Japan's right-wing elite to reality

Source: Global Times

[Global Times reporters Yue Linwei, Lin Ri, Zhang Jing, Hao Shuangyan, Guo Yuandan, Chen Kang, and Liu Yupeng] "The Chinese and Russian navies organized the first joint cruise in the relevant waters of the western Pacific Ocean and circled the Japanese archipelago. This is an unprecedented provocation. "Nihon Keizai Shimbun" reported on the 24th that the Chinese and Russian navies were cruising around Japan. On the 23rd, the Chinese and Russian Ministries of National Defense simultaneously issued a statement declaring that the joint cruise was to jointly maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. The Chinese side said that during the cruise, the joint formation strictly complied with the relevant provisions of international law and did not enter the territorial waters of other countries; the operation was not aimed at third parties. For the United States and its ally Japan, which often engage in so-called "free navigation" operations in the waters around China and Russia, this sino-Russian operation has shaken them. VoA said that The Sino-Russian move was a "demonstration to the United States and Japan" and that such joint cruise operations between China and Russia are likely to be "normalized" in the future. Japan, for its part, is concerned that China and Russia, with which they share territorial disputes, may have formed a joint posture toward Japan. Russia's reconum news agency said on the 23rd: "At present, the Asia-Pacific region, instigated by the United States and its deprived satellite countries, is rapidly transforming into an arena for military and political confrontation." The joint cruise of the Sino-Russian naval formation is an important preventive shot against Japan's so-called 'revengeism' and returns Japan's right-wing elite to reality. ”

Chinese and Russian warship formations carried out joint voyages in the western Pacific.

"With important declarative and practical significance"

On the 24th, major Japanese media have put the Chinese and Russian naval vessels cruising around Japan on an important page. According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the Chinese and Russian navies conducted a joint cruise around Japan in less than a week. The Ministry of Defense's Unified Staff Supervision Department released a news release on the 23rd that a formation of 10 ships of the Chinese and Russian navies crossed the Dotsuchu Strait, the maritime choke point in northern Japan, on the 18th, and then crossed the Osumi Strait, the choke point in southern Japan, on the 22nd. According to the report, this is the first time that Chinese and Russian ship formations have jointly passed through the Osumi Strait. "The Formation of Chinese and Russian ships is actually sailing around Japan, which is an unprecedented provocative operation."

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, the Chinese and Russian fleets basically circled the Japanese archipelago, which the Ministry of Defense considered to be an extremely rare action. For several days, the Japanese side has dispatched patrol aircraft, minesweepers, frigates, and fighter jets to conduct follow-up surveillance and response. According to the report, after the Chinese and Russian ships passed through the Osumi Strait, at about 10 a.m. on the 23rd in the sea area about 130 kilometers southeast of Nagasaki Prefecture, the carrier-based helicopter on a Chinese guided missile destroyer suddenly took off, and the Japanese side urgently dispatched fighter jets to monitor the Chinese helicopter.

From October 14 to 17, the Chinese and Russian navies held the "Maritime Joint-2021" joint military exercise in the waters near Peter the Great Bay in Russia. After the exercise, the two sides sent a total of 10 ships and 6 carrier-based helicopters to form a joint formation, mainly with some participating ships, to cross the Tsugaru Strait, an important waterway between the Sea of Japan and the North Pacific, on the 18th, and then cruised along the east side of the Japanese archipelago, and then crossed the Osumi Strait to the East China Sea.

The website of China's Ministry of National Defense said on the 23rd that the joint maritime cruise aims to further develop the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between China and Russia in the new era, enhance the joint action capabilities of both sides, and jointly maintain international and regional strategic stability. During the cruise, the joint formation strictly complied with the relevant provisions of international law and did not enter the territorial waters of other countries. The Russian Ministry of Defense also issued a statement on the same day, saying that the joint cruise mission was "to display the flags of Russia and China, maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, and protect the maritime economic activities of the two countries."

In an interview with the Global Times on the 24th, 10 ships of the Chinese and Russian navies organized the first joint maritime cruise after holding the joint military exercise, and for the first time they jointly crossed the Tsugaru Strait and the Osumi Strait and circled the Japanese archipelago. The joint cruise between the Chinese and Russian navies is of great symbolic significance, and for so many firsts, this in itself sends a signal that highlights the repeated provocations of the two sides against the countries concerned, and of course shocks Japan and the United States behind it.

Zhang Junshe, a researcher at the China Naval Research Institute, told the Global Times that the organization of the first joint maritime cruise in the relevant waters of the western Pacific Ocean by the Chinese and Russian navies is of great declaratory significance and practical combat significance. The Chinese and Russian ships participating in the joint naval exercises will participate in sea cruises without taking a break, and carry out exercises such as joint voyages, joint maneuvers, and the actual use of weapons, so as to be closer to actual combat, which can further test and enhance the continuous combat capability of the troops, the ability of far-sea operations, and the joint operation capabilities of the two sides, and enhance the ability of the Chinese and Russian navies to jointly deal with maritime security threats. As two permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and Russia shoulder the common responsibility of safeguarding world peace. "The smooth implementation of the Sino-Russian joint maritime exercise and cruise is conducive to strengthening Sino-Russian strategic mutual trust, developing a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between China and Russia in the new era, and helping to maintain regional security and stability." Joint exercises and cruises are fully in line with international law and international practice, and there is no reason for individual countries to make irresponsible remarks.

"China and Russia" demonstrating to the United States and Japan?

As for the joint cruise of the Chinese and Russian navies, as of the 24th Beijing time, the US official, which often carries out so-called "free navigation" operations in the waters around China and Russia, has not commented. However, VOA said that the first joint cruise of the Chinese and Russian navies in the western Pacific was a "demonstration to the United States and Japan." According to the report, due to the deterioration of relations between China and Russia with the United States and Japan and other countries in recent years, the two sides have continuously strengthened diplomatic and military relations. Since 2012, except for last year's bye due to the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Russia have held regular joint military exercises every year. The size and lineup of ships dispatched by the joint naval exercise and the joint cruise after the exercise is the largest ever. In addition, China and Russia have also held joint strategic cruises of the air forces of the two countries every year since 2019. The report believes that the joint cruise operation between Chinese and Russian warships is likely to be "normalized".

Japan's official Cabinet Secretary Only Deputy Cabinet Secretary Hitohiko Isozaki responded to the joint cruise of Chinese and Russian naval vessels at a press conference on the 23rd. He said that the Japanese government will continue to pay close attention to the activities of Chinese and Russian naval vessels around Japan and ensure that the vigilance and surveillance activities in the sea and airspace around Japan are foolproof. Isozaki declined to comment on the intentions of the Chinese and Russian naval vessels to cruise.

However, the Asahi Shimbun quoted the Ministry of Defense as saying that the Osumi Strait and the Tsugaru Strait are international waterways, and the Chinese and Russian warship formations "did not invade Japan's territorial waters." According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan has five such throat waterways, in addition to the Tsugaru Strait and osumi Strait, there is also the Soya Strait between Hokkaido and Sakhalin Island, and the east-west waterway of the Tsushima Strait between South Korea and Japan.

Japan's Territorial Sea and Contiguous Waters Act stipulates that the width of Japan's territorial waters is 12 nautical miles. However, the law specifically stipulates that the above five waterways are specific sea areas, the territorial sea is 3 nautical miles wide, and the central part is an international waterway, which can be harmlessly passed by ships of various countries. In the 1960s, the Japanese government promised the "Three Principles of Non-Nuclear Weapons," but at the same time secretly reached a security treaty with the United States, According to Mr. Tsuyoshi. In order to facilitate the passage of nuclear weapons carried by US nuclear submarines and other nuclear weapons through this sea area, and at the same time not to violate the "three principles of non-nuclear weapons", Japan deliberately designated the middle of the above five waterways as an international waterway when legislating. Japan did not expect that the "back door" left for the US military in the past has now opened a "convenient door" for Chinese and Russian warships to cruise around Japan.

Will China and Russia block "Biden ambitions"?

"For the first time, the Chinese and Russian navies 'hand in hand' cruised around Japan, causing a shock in the United States and Japan." The Russian "Political Experts" Network quoted military expert Potopri Gora as saying that although the strength shown by the Russian-Chinese naval fleet through joint cruises is very strong, there is no basis for Japan and the United States to panic about this. He said Western alliances such as the United States and Japan accused Russia and China of joint cruises in order to divert the attention of the international community from their military activities in the region. Previously, the United States, Britain and Australia formed the "AUKUS" alliance and held a number of exercises in the Asia-Pacific region, which is believed to have intensified the arms race and regional tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.

"The joint cruise of Chinese and Russian warships highlights the partnership between the two sides." The deepening military cooperation between China and Russia has raised concerns among U.S. strategists who fear that the two adversaries, by sharing military technology and numerous foreign policy goals, could "prevent the Biden administration from regaining U.S. ambitions for global leadership," according to U.S. headlines. The Biden administration has focused on deploying more military assets to the Western Pacific to accomplish the long-delayed strategic shift of gravity toward China. The Biden administration, however, has had to grapple with a way to deal with Beijing's growing "partnership" with Moscow. According to U.S. intelligence assessments, China and Russia are more united than ever, with leaders calling each other "best partners."

Zhu Feng, executive dean of the School of International Relations of Nanjing University, told the Global Times on the 24th that the Biden administration continued to strengthen its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region after taking office, and pulled Australia, Japan and other countries to frequently hold joint military exercises in the western Pacific. The strengthening of military cooperation between China and Russia is a necessary response to the strategic suppression of the United States. Zhu Feng also said that in the context of Japan's further comprehensive strengthening of the US-Japan military alliance, especially the claim to jointly intervene with the United States on the Taiwan Strait issue, the Sino-Russian cruise around Japan is a clear message to Japan that we do not want the security of the East Asian region to become more fragile.

In recent years, the Japanese government's right-wing tendency has become more and more obvious, and Japan not only tries to act as an important part of the United States to contain China and Russia, but also takes the initiative to provoke the two major neighbors. After taking office, Japan's new Prime Minister Kishida Fumio pointed fingers at China and at the same time forcefully declared to Russia that "only after taking back the northern territories can Japan sign a peace treaty with Russia" and said that "the northern territory issue cannot be left to the next generation to solve." In this regard, the two Russian vice premiers boarded the South Kuril Islands on the 15th, and five days later, the Chinese coast guard ship cruised in the territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands. The Chinese and Russian navies also held joint naval exercises until this joint cruise around Japan.

Mr. Cheng believes that this series of actions is a warning sign to Japan. Together, China and Russia are sending out these signals that appear harder, stronger, and broader. In other words, safeguarding regional peace and stability is a common choice between China and Russia, and this stabilizing force is supported by most neighboring countries.