Source: CCTV Military
October 17
The Sino-Russian "Maritime Joint-2021" military exercise ended
Subsequently, the Chinese and Russian navies formed a fleet of ships
Sail towards the Pacific Ocean through the Tsugaru Strait
This move has aroused great concern in Japan
Japan: Confirmed for the first time the ships of the Chinese and Russian navies
At the same time it crosses the Tsugaru Strait
From October 14 to 17, the Chinese and Russian navies held the "Maritime Joint-2021" joint military exercise near Peter the Great Bay in Russia. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the exercise ended on the 17th.
On the 18th, for the first time, a formation of 10 Chinese and Russian ships passed through the Tsugaru Strait in formation, which not only demonstrated the high degree of strategic mutual trust between the Chinese and Russian militaries, but also caused a lot of shock in Japan.
The Japanese Self-Defense Forces Unified Staff Supervision Department reported on the evening of the 18th that at 8 a.m. on the same day, a Chinese and Russian naval formation was found sailing eastward in the Sea of Japan. Japan's Ministry of Defense said it was the first time it had been confirmed that a Chinese and Russian naval vessel had crossed the Tsugaru Strait at the same time. The Japanese side dispatched P-3C anti-submarine patrol aircraft of the Second Air Force of the Maritime Self-Defense Force and the ships of the 45th Minesweeper Squadron to collect information and monitor alerts.
On the 19th, Japan's deputy chief cabinet secretary, Hitohiko Isozaki, said that the Japanese side is "highly concerned" about this.
Chinese and Russian naval vessels pass through the Tsugaru Strait
Reasonable, legal and compliant
The Chinese-Russian naval formation consists of 10 ships, five of which are each of China and Russia, of which the Chinese Navy ships are the Type 055 guided-missile destroyer Nanchang, the Type 052D Guided Missile Destroyer Kunming, the Type 054A Binzhou, the Liuzhou Guided Missile Frigate, and the Dongpinghu Comprehensive Supply Ship.
The Russian ships were the Type 1155 large anti-submarine ship Admiral Pantelleev, Admiral Tributs, the electronic reconnaissance ship Marshal Krylov, the Type 22350 frigate "Loud" and the Russian Federation Hero Ardar Zidenzapov.
According to the Russian Satellite News Agency reported on the 19th, the central part of the Tsugaru Strait is an international shipping lane, and ships from all countries can pass harmlessly. The passage of Chinese and Russian naval vessels through the Tsugaru Strait is reasonable, legal and compliant.
Expert: Don't be "shocked" when you come more
The central part of the Tsugaru Strait is an international sea lane, and the passage of Chinese and Russian naval vessels through the Tsugaru Strait is reasonable, legal and compliant. But why is Japan "highly concerned" about this and "shocked"? What kind of signal did the Chinese and Russian naval fleets send when they passed through the Tsugaru Strait for the first time? Listen to the interpretation of expert Du Wenlong.
Military expert Du Wenlong believes that:
Japan expressed its shock that the Sino-Russian joint maritime formation passed through the Tsugaru Strait, and this shock was mainly due to the fact that the Sino-Russian joint formation had come too little, and in the future, if in a state of conformity with the "International Law", nothing would come often and things would come as soon as possible, so that all kinds of shocks caused in the surrounding areas would gradually disappear.
Our various navigation operations and training activities are completely formal and in accordance with international law.
China and Russia conducted operations in the open seas to strengthen mutual trust
After the sino-Russian joint maritime exercise, the original team passed through the Tsugaru Strait, which was a normal passage in line with the "International Law" and an important measure to strengthen the effectiveness of the joint exercise between the two countries.
Exercises in fixed waters and cruise operations in the open seas have a relatively large gap in terms of requirements, capabilities and standards. If China and Russia can carry out such activities in the open seas with main battleships and auxiliary ships, they will actually play an important role in strengthening the relationship of mutual trust between China and Russia and improving the effectiveness of the entire maritime joint exercise.
Background link
Japan has designated the Tsugaru Strait as a specific sea area to facilitate the entry and exit of the US military
Tsugaru Strait is located between Honshu and Hokkaido in Japan, with the Sea of Japan in the west and the Pacific Ocean in the east, and is only 24 to 40 kilometers wide. At the geopolitical or strategic level, it is one of the important straits in the northern part of the so-called "first island chain". At the economic and trade level, it is also a shortcut from the eastern coast of Japan to the west, which is of great significance to Japan's offshore shipping.
Japan's Territorial Sea and Contiguous Waters Act stipulates that the width of its territorial waters is 12 nautical miles. According to this standard, the Tsugaru Strait is basically within the territorial waters of Japan. However, Japan's territorial maritime law has added a supplementary provision, which designates five waterways, including the Tsugaru Strait, the Soya Strait, the Osumi Strait, and the East-West Waterway of the Tsushima Strait, as "specific sea areas", with a territorial sea width of only 3 nautical miles, and the middle part of the strait is an exclusive economic zone and an international shipping lane, and ships from all countries can pass harmlessly.
The reason why special waterways were carved out was actually to facilitate the US military stationed in Japan.
In the 1960s, Japan promised the "Three Principles of Non-Nuclear Weapons" of "not possessing, manufacturing, and introducing nuclear weapons," but according to the "secret treaty" when Japan and the United States reached a security treaty in the same period, Japan had to ensure the convenience of the U.S. military that possessed nuclear weapons. The Japanese government has always denied the existence of a secret treaty, but has set aside 3 nautical-mile territorial waters, which is widely believed to be aimed at circumventing the "Three Principles of Non-Nuclear Weapons" and facilitating the movement and delivery of nuclear weapons by the US military.
On the other hand, the home port of the U.S. Seventh Fleet is located in Yokosuka, and without special territorial regulations for several narrow waterways, including the Tsugaru Strait, U.S. ships would have to go all the way south around the southwestern tip of Okinawa, which would be time-consuming and laborious for U.S. warships to enter and exit the East China Sea.
Source: CCTV Military Integrated CCTV-4 Asia Today