Russia and China Conduct Joint Air Patrol Near South Korea

Russia and China conducted joint air force patrols over the East China Sea and Sea of Japan on June 6. They entered South Korea’s air defense identification zone (adiz), prompting the nation to scramble fighter jets.

According to China’s Defense Ministry, this was a regular patrol in Russia and China’s annual military cooperation plan. This was their sixth joint patrol since 2019.

South Korea’s Joint Chief of Staff said four Russian aircraft and four Chinese aircraft entered into South Korea’s adiz and remained for two hours. The Russian and Chinese aircraft did not violate South Korea’s airspace; however, foreign aircraft are required to identify themselves and ask for authorization before they enter another nation’s adiz.

Nuclear alliance: Russia and China’s patrol comes a day after South Korea announced that its alliance with the United States has now been upgraded to a “nuclear alliance.” South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said that the growing threat from North Korea means America’s extended deterrence must strengthen.

Distraction: The incursion on South Korea’s adiz is not unlike the way North Korea has flown drones and launched missiles into South Korea’s airspace. Normally, South Korea reaches out to its biggest ally, the U.S., for protection when North Korea conducts aggressive incursions or threatens the use of nuclear weapons.

Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has warned, however, that South Korea and the U.S. should be more concerned about threats coming from Russia and China. These two nations are behind all of North Korea’s threats.

The Bible’s prophecies show that, in a sense, the North Korea crisis is a massive distraction from the real threat posed by China and Russia. These powerful Asian nations are the only reason North Korea is able to operate so freely. And Bible prophecy shows that they pose a threat many times greater than the one from North Korea!
—Gerald Flurry, co-worker letter, Sept. 13, 2017

Learn more: Read “North Korea—Truly an Isolated State?”