Alaska Tensions: China, Russia Warships Encounter US Destroyers

Four US Navy warships reportedly met with eleven Chinese and Russian military vessels that were found last week cruising close to the Aleutian Islands, according to Alaska’s two US senators.

The two Republican senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski say they were briefed about the operation in a joint press release Saturday night.

The invasion of 11 Chinese and Russian warships off the coast of Alaska is evidence that we have entered a new era of authoritarian aggression led by the tyrants in Beijing and Moscow.

The Ukraine war and the conflicts between China and Taiwan have strained US relations with both countries. The senators claimed that the warships were traveling through US waters, but the combined force did not appear to have reached US soil, the Northern Command notified the Journal. 

Under our direction, actions were taken to secure the protection of the United States and Canada using air and sea assets.

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Chinese and Russian Ships Detected by US Coast Guard

It stated in a statement to the Journal that the patrol remained in international seas and was not considered a threat. Chinese naval ships have gone near or frequented the waters surrounding the Aleutian islands in the 

Since at least three years ago, the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean. A similar cooperative activity was done the previous year.

The crew of the cutter Kimball allegedly stumbled saw a People’s Republic of China guided missile cruiser off the shore of Kiska Island in Alaska in September 2022 while on a routine patrol in the Bering Sea, according to the US shore Guard. 

The crew afterwards discovered two other Chinese navy ships, along with four Russian ships, among them a destroyer.

At the time, Coast Guard Rear Admiral Nathan Moore stated that the formation was operating in accordance with international norms and conventions to prevent any disruptions to US interests in the sea area around Alaska.

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Source: news.yahoo.com