Chinese and Russian fighter jets carried out joint flights near Japan on Tuesday during the last day of Joe Biden’s visit to the region.
South Korea’s military said it intercepts fighter jets after at least four Chinese and four Russian warplanes entered its air defense zone on Tuesday.
The Russian and Chinese aircraft entered and left the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone (Korea ADIZ) in the Sea of Japan, known in Korea as the East Sea, several times throughout the day, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), US News wrote.
The aircraft, which included fighter jets and bombers from each side, did not violate South Korea’s airspace, the JCS added.
The planes entered South Korean airspace on the last day of US President Joe Biden’s trip to the East Asian region, which could send a warning message to Washington and its allies in the region.
After US President Joe Biden said on Monday he would be willing to use force to defend Taiwan, China’s foreign ministry said that “no one should stand against the 1.4 billion Chinese people.”
“No one should underestimate the strong determination, firm will, and strong ability of the Chinese people to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and do not stand against the 1.4 billion Chinese people,” China’s foreign ministry said.
US President Joe Biden in a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in response to a question about whether the US would be prepared to defend Taiwan if attacked, replied, “Yes.”
The White House has walked back on Biden’s remarks on defending Taiwan after China’s foreign ministry hit back at Biden on Monday, expressing “strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition” to his comments.