TOKYO — The head of the US Indo-Pacific Command said Monday he is “very concerned” about increased joint military actions by China and Russia in the region.
Admiral John C. Aquilino spoke in Tokyo as another regional concern, North Korea, conducted its latest intercontinental ballistic missile test, underscoring the advancement of its capabilities.
Aquilino is meeting with Japanese defense officials ahead of a joint exercise, Keen Edge 24, early next year.
He urged China to stop escalating maritime confrontations with its neighbors, saying increasing military activity with Russia is a serious concern amid Moscow's war in Ukraine.
“I consider it way beyond a marriage of convenience at this point,” he said. that was (China), that's just a bad neighborhood and a bad group to live in,” Aquilino said.
North Korea has pushed for expanding cooperation with Russia and China. There are concerns that the North has supplied missiles and other munitions to Russia in support of the war in Ukraine in exchange for acquiring Russian missile technology.
Chinese and Russian bombers made a joint flight last week across the East China Sea into the waters between Japan and the Korean Peninsula, prompting Japanese fighter jets to rush against them, Japan's Defense Ministry said.
Japan has territorial disputes with China over Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea, despite what Beijing claims. It views China as a threat to national security and is in the process of rapid military build-up.
Japan is particularly concerned about China's increased joint activity with the Russian military around Japan's coast.
China is experiencing increasing tensions with other neighboring countries.
Standoffs between China and the Philippines over a number of disputed offshore areas in the South China Sea have escalated this year. The United States has warned China that it is obliged to defend the Philippines, its treaty ally, if Philippine forces are attacked. China has warned the US to stay away from what it calls a purely Asian dispute.
China also activated sonar in waters where divers were working on an Australian ship.
But Chinese flights and maritime encounters with U.S. warplanes and ships have stopped since U.S. President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping agreed in November to stabilize their relationship and restore military communications.
But Aquilino's requested talks with his Chinese counterpart have been going on for three years, and he is waiting for China to respond to his renewed request.
“No answer yet,” he said, apart from the fact that the Chinese embassy says they need to work out the technology to make the call.
