Russian, Chinese bombers fly joint patrol over Sea of Japan and East China Sea

Well, someone’s got to defend autocracy!

"The ministry added that the patrol flight “wasn't directed against any third countries.”

hahahaha, yer right. do you think we're that stupid?

I feel for the people of SK, I think in time you'll see SK turn into another Pakistan (or worse), and will be the first to be swallowed into the CCP sphere, if not by force via NK,

Pure fantasy and will never happen. South Koreans are to used to freedom to fall or be forced into the sheep lifestyle of Chinese people ruled by a few wolves in the CCP.

As much chance of Japan falling into China;s hands as South Korea. Fantasy for either scenario.

Oh and there is much unrest in Pakistan about giving China a renewal of the copper-gold mine in the poorest region of the country. Another 10 year renewal means another decade of unrest in that area of Pakistan towards what citizens there see is China taking their mineral resources and them getting little to nothing from anyone for it.

Btw there was no "annexation" of Crimea by Russia.Pls stop to spread fake news here.

OK, lets drop that polite term and call it as it is. Totalitarian Russia invaded the Ukraine illegally, and is illegally occupying a part of it. This is a FACT recognized by the democratic nations of the world. Only despot states recognize the illegal occupation.

Looks like the Russian bots are out in force again before Mods clean them up!

The US has attacked more countries since WW2 than all of the countries in the world combined.

I call BS on that statement. A statement designed to illicit a bad reaction to America that is not true.

So, if the US attacks, bombs, or invades a foreign country, it doesn't count, as long as the US brings along "partners".

So if others ask for US help to defend themselves or to free Kuwait from invasion that is all the US being an aggressor? There is at least two sides to every story. Yours is anti American and mine is not.

The US has attacked more countries since WW2 than all of the countries in the world combined.

The USA always stands up to bullies, and protects democracy-worshipping nations like Japan. The real aggressors, invaders, thugs and bullies are Communist China and totalitarian Russia.

Communist China has illegally invaded Tibet, Hong Kong, Mongolia, India, and taken over the South China sea. They are eyeing Taiwan and Okinawa right now. This is fact.

Totalitarian Russia has illegally invaded part of the Ukraine and illegally occupies four sovereign Japanese islands.

There is no one who could sanely argue the freedom-loving USA is the "aggressive" one, with evil allies Russia and China constantly threatening the region including Japan.

The ministry added that the patrol flight “wasn't directed against any third countries.”

Ohhh. God no, not at all who would have even have thought of something like that...

China and Russia, both are a big thread for the world peace!

I suppose we should expect more such actions in the time period where the US has a President who only cares about overturning the election instead of National security or health.

But it should be a massive wake up call for South Korea to dump it's Anti-Japan Tribalism and start taking the US-JPN-SK alliance seriously. This intrusion was mostly over South Korean ADZ.

Who's going to invade China? Who's going to invade Russia? Living in fear is how dictatorships move towards greater and greater evil...

I see this two ways.

Russia is just using this as an excuse to cozy up to China and get a close up view of what their training is like in case they need to jump in at the last moment of a 'future' war to make another land grab like in they did in the last world war.

Russia wants China to believe it's on its side and at the same time make the US and allies think twice about any sanctions or provocations in the region when in fact they would stab China in the back to get rid of the CCP and install their own controllable version of government for Russia's benefit.

China's CCP is in its dying years with this virus they allowed to make its way to every corner of this planet. It's only a matter of time before the CCP feels the pressure from all sides, domestic and foreign and goes too far.

The CCP doesn't have the patience to have or stick to a long term plan which is clear in the way they allowed the virus to leave their country where they could have had control over the narrative and kept the world customer base intact and healthy while they shut down their own country to fight the virus. Instead they figured, we have the virus so damn the rest of the planet, let them suffer along with us as well. Shortsighted as they killed off their business and made the whole world's market come to a screaming halt.

No surprise that dictatorships are teaming up...

Russia and China did not firebomb and nuke Japanese cities. Russia and China do not have military bases all over Japan, exposing the country to attack in the event of war.

Russia stole Japanese Islands after the surrender and forcibly removed all Japanese citizens from their homes there.

China seeks to take Japanese administered Islands in the east China sea that belong to Japan.

Japan's old enemy of WWII the US is now a friend and protector of Japan along with the JSDF.

The only war that will ever come to Japan is one started by either Russia, China or North Korea, who would all love for Japan to be standing alone. Japan has friends now and they make sure Japan does not stand alone.

Desert TortoiseDec. 25  03:29 am JST

Ossan, Dokdo belongs to Korea. End of story. Same thing with Japan's control of the Senkakus. Nothing short of a war will change that fact. So beat your drum if you must but for most of us it's just a bunch of obnoxious noise. Japanese whining about Dokdo is no different than Chinese whining about the Senkakus.

Nope it;s not the "end of story". If South Korea ever grows up and chooses to join the group of nations that recognizes and accepts ICJ jurisdiction, then it's unilateral control and occupation could be tried in a court of International law. Obviously South Korea knows this and contiunes to refuse ICJ jursdiction. No war needed, just the rule of Law. Japan does not "whine" about the Liancourt Rocks and China does not "whine" about the Senkakus. The only country in east Asia that whines about anything involving Japan is South Korea. Fact.

Anti-democracy, pro-authoritarians around the globe are cheering as their model states China and Russia draw deeper lines in the sand.

Russia and China again destabalizing the region with their provocative actions.

Wait, they were flying through International airspace where every nation is welcomed including the US, Philippines, Japan, Vietnam, Australia, France, UK and even Finland if they want to fly there.

A yawn inducing event meant to impress those easily impressed. Nothing of consequence.

Desert TortoiseToday  11:26 am JST

Again, disputed terriotry is not included in a country's claim to an ADIZ. South Korea showed their ignorance by taking action against the Russians who flew over Takeshima (or Dokdo according to the Koreans) which is a disputed area.

The only country disputing South Korea's ownership of them is Japan, and no other nation that I am aware of supports Japan's claim. The US handed them to the South Koreans at the end of WWII. End of story, end of dispute, just as the US awarded the Sankakus to Japan at the end of WWII instead of to PRC. Therefore South Korea's response was legal and appropriate. Period. Full stop.

Sorry buddy but you're dead wrong. The United States never "handed" the Liancourt Rocks to ROK. In fact when Syngman Rhee drew the famous line and unilaterally included the Liancourt Rocks as ROK territory the U.S, was so alarmed that it advised Japan to take it to the ICJ. That was the first time that Japan tried to settle the issue at the ICJ and ROK refused. They refused 2 further times afterwards.

"On August 10, 1951, a secret correspondence currently known as the Rusk documents was sent to South Korea communicating the then U.S. position on issues of territorial sovereignty in the Peace Treaty explaining why the US believed Liancourt Rocks were Japanese territory: "[T]his normally uninhabited rock formation was according to our information never treated as part of Korea and, since about 1905, has been under the jurisdiction of the Oki Islands Branch Office of Shimane Prefecture of Japan. The island does not appear ever before to have been claimed by Korea."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liancourt_Rocks_dispute#Classified_US_communication_to_South_Korean_government

Just as the U.S. takes no official position on the question of sovereignty over the Senkakus (despite clearly announcing them covered under Article 5 of the US-JPN security treaty). the US take no official position on the Liancourt Rocks. Meaning it does not recognize either South Korea or Japan.

"The United States will continue to remain neutral on the issue of Dokdo/Takeshima for the foreseeable future and there is little that South Korea can do to change this."

https://thediplomat.com/2014/05/no-the-us-wont-back-south-korea-against-japan-on-dokdo/

No countries besides ROK and Japan supports their respective claims.

should be a massive wake up call for South Korea to dump it's Anti-Japan Tribalism

Yes, very apt point there. SK under MJI is leaning ever closer to NK and China. It is the only country in Asia with a travel corridor with China, even during a pandemic that originated in China. Chinese developers are already eyeing Guryong (next to Gangnam), and there's enormous pressure heaped on SK conglomerates NOT to move supply chain from China.

I feel for the people of SK, I think in time you'll see SK turn into another Pakistan (or worse), and will be the first to be swallowed into the CCP sphere, if not by force via NK, then natural attrition. South Koreans have no idea what they're in for.

Those rear-view mirrors are cool.

Two murderous, totalitariian states, who have a hatred of freedom and democracy, and both illegally occupying Japanese land. Of course they are gonna band together against nations in the region who love those values, like the USA and Japan.

@KnowBetter

you’ve got it backwards. China is the one with all the plans. Russia is just trying to stay relevant.

US can Russia to it knees, when new sanctions are imposed

@Know Better

Very good post!

The CCP doesn't have the patience to have or stick to a long term plan 

China’s visions and projects are long term, but the US is vulnerable to change every four years.

China and Russia, both are a big threat to world peace!

We just need to reach equilibrium for deterrence. If nations are willing to go to war due to the Quad or Russia and China, then peace is achieved.

South Koreans have no idea what they're in for.

Looks like SK is right in the middle and has an important role to play.

So far some strategic words about the dangerous climate change and the urgent necessity for us to change the cars into eco-friendly electric vehicles...lol

Who's going to invade China? Who's going to invade Russia?

Learn the histories of both countries. They have been invaded multiple times in the past. Both Russia and China have been invaded and conquered by the Mongols, China twice in fact and China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing, was a Mongol dynasty. One of Sun Yat-Sen's main arguments to rally his supporters and soldiers was for the Han to throw the Mongols out and govern themselves. Then in the 19th century China was divvied up among several European powers. You can still see the imperial buildings in Shanghai along the curve in the Huangpu River at what is called "The Bund" right across from Shanghai Tower in Pudong and the French architecture remains in the old French Concession of Shanghai. And there there were the Japanese and Russians in the north of China. Russia or course was invaded by Napoleon and Hitler and not that many years apart from a historical perspective The Swedes tore across western Russia from St. Petersburg all the way to the Black Sea in the early 17th Century. Immediately after the Swedish invasion the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth invaded Russia claiming captured territory for the Roman Catholic Church. The Germans in WWI pushed the eastern front all the way to St. Petersburg and the resulting political instability in Russia paved the way for Lenin much as the Japanese invasion of China paved the way for Mao.

Disputed terriotry is not included in any country's claim to an ADIZ.

I don't think you quite understand what an ADIZ is. An ADIZ is not territorial airspace. Territorial airspace extends 12nm (nm = nautical miles = 1.151 statute miles or 1/60 of a meridian) from the shore of a nation bordering an ocean or sea and no more. Any airspace beyond that is international airspace anyone may fly through. You cannot shoot down someone's airplane that is outside the 12 nm limit but inside an ADIZ. However nations like to know the identities of airplanes flying in from abroad and intending to land at their airports. It saves them a lot of time sending up interceptors to take a look at every airplane entering their airspace to see if it's friendly, a commercial aircraft intending to land there or an enemy bomber looking for a chance to stage a surprise. Airplanes intending to land at a coastal nation will file a flight plan with their intended landing site and a possible weather divert site. When they approach the ADIZ they make a standard position report to the air traffic control agency for the ADIZ and they are identified as friendly traffic. There is no need to intercept them. However if aircraft approach an ADIZ that are not on a filed flight plan and do not check in with the controlling agency the nation will scramble fighters to take a look. Nations with the capability will often fly long range bombers or recce aircraft into another nations ADIZ while staying in international airspace to test their reactions. Nations who's ADIZ are about to be penetrated tend to respond as rapidly as possible so the other side doesn't view them as unprepared and less than vigilant. They also can't be sure if the approaching aircraft are just intending to fly by or if it's a real, no-kidding attack about to happen. The nation who's ADIZ is penetrated can't shoot at the other nation's airplanes unless they try to come inside the 12 nm limit unless of course the approaching aircraft display obvious hostile intent (open weapons bays, using targeting radars or other targeting sensors, actual weapons being launched). Then depending on the rules of engagement and what the approaching aircraft are doing it might be weapons free. It certainly was at times during the Cold War.

Rather strong but hidden message from Putin to Biden and the EU.

"Sever ties to China now! Russia has a badass sidekick".

Anti-democracy, pro-authoritarians around the globe are cheering as their model states China and Russia draw deeper lines in the sand.

Oh, the irony in this comment. Oh, the irony.

How one does not understand oneself.

OH! really? Was that just an accusation? " Russia meddling in the 2016 Presidential election??? " This is not the way Liberals and democrats said. They had HARD, HARD evidence for that, 40 million USD spends to find out. Accused and still accusing trump for that, And again A guy did said to Ukraine to suspend the prosecutor, or you you will not get a billions in support... that YEAH Trump?? Didn't we impeach him..

The US Senate Intelligence Committee report on Russian interference in the 2016 unambiguously details the methods and occasions of Russian interference in that election cycle. You can read the report yourself.

Peter14Today  11:31 am JST

The only war that will ever come to Japan is one started by either Russia, China or North Korea, who would all love for Japan to be standing alone. Japan has friends now and they make sure Japan does not stand alone.

The US has attacked more countries since WW2 than all of the countries in the world combined.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_United_States_military_operations

This aggressive stance has convinced North Korea, for example, that they need nuclear weapons as a deterrent to US aggression. They have seen Sadaam Hussain beaten and hanged, and Gadaffi, dragged through the streets and beaten and stabbed to death. They have seen almost all the male members of Hussain's and Gadaffi's family likewise, murdered. Kim Jong Un will fight, since he knows to do otherwise, he will suffer the same fate.

Given the history of US aggression, it is more likely a war, with North Korea, for example, will be started by the US. We also know that North Korea has nukes and nerve gas. We also know that NK missiles can easily reach Japan, and we also know that US military bases in Japan will be prime targets.

So long as it's international space, no problem

Let's hope no US fighter jets shadowing them do a barrel-roll or buzz them close-by

Again, disputed terriotry is not included in a country's claim to an ADIZ. South Korea showed their ignorance by taking action against the Russians who flew over Takeshima (or Dokdo according to the Koreans) which is a disputed area.

The only country disputing South Korea's ownership of them is Japan, and no other nation that I am aware of supports Japan's claim. The US handed them to the South Koreans at the end of WWII. End of story, end of dispute, just as the US awarded the Sankakus to Japan at the end of WWII instead of to PRC. Therefore South Korea's response was legal and appropriate. Period. Full stop.

Ossan, Dokdo belongs to Korea. End of story. Same thing with Japan's control of the Senkakus. Nothing short of a war will change that fact. So beat your drum if you must but for most of us it's just a bunch of obnoxious noise. Japanese whining about Dokdo is no different than Chinese whining about the Senkakus.

@Fighto!

both illegally occupying Japanese land.

Name single island claimed by Japan China's occupying, please?

@OssanJapan

This intrusion was mostly over South Korean ADZ.

Actually no, Russian and Chinese air groups flew the majority of their flight within JADIZ, as Japan is considered a safer passage with limited scrambling ability of JASDF(Fewer fighter jets ready) and no open fire policy vs the Koreans who greet them with a dozen fighter jets and an order to open fire if territorial line is crossed.

https://www.abc10.com/article/news/south-korea-fires-360-rounds-of-warning-shots-at-russian-warplane/507-b8942f3f-28ad-4a60-8946-e02ceeccd4d0

South Korea fires 360 rounds of warning shots at Russian warplane

The flight path of Russian and Chinese air groups according to Japanese MoD. You can clearly see they prefer JADIZ over KADIZ, as the JASDF has never fired a hail of bullets against them unlike the ROKAF. Chinese in fact has informed the Koreans of their flight plan in advance to avoid any potential mishap.

https://www.thedrive.com/content-b/message-editor%2F1608670258501-map.jpg

Russia and China did not firebomb and nuke Japanese cities. Russia and China do not have military bases all over Japan, exposing the country to attack in the event of war.

Peter14Today  12:33 pm JST

Most conflicts since WWII that the US has been involved in were as partners in a coalition and many were in response to hostilities started by others. I see maybe five where the US acted alone and first in a conflict.

So, if the US attacks, bombs, or invades a foreign country, it doesn't count, as long as the US brings along "partners".

Russia has sought to develop stronger ties with China as its relations with the West sank to post-Cold War lows over Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea, accusations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and other issues.

Opinion about to content on the news..

OH! really? Was that just an accusation? " Russia meddling in the 2016 Presidential election??? " This is not the way Liberals and democrats said. They had HARD, HARD evidence for that, 40 million USD spends to find out. Accused and still accusing trump for that, And again A guy did said to Ukraine to suspend the prosecutor, or you you will not get a billions in support... that YEAH Trump?? Didn't we impeach him..

After all now it lowered " Just accusation ONLY..

Merry X mas .

It is still not to late to get out of quad.