Pentagon concerned about Russia-China relations after their aircraft fly over Alaska

The Associated Press reported that the Pentagon is concerned about relations between Russia and China after they conducted a five-hour joint air patrol over Alaska yesterday.

"These relationships are always a concern for us," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters.

The agency added that these flights by Russian and Chinese aircraft are the first recorded case of bombers flying within the Alaskan air defense identification zone, taking off from the same base in northeastern Russia.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that its Aerospace Forces conducted a joint patrol with the Chinese Air Force over the waters of the Chukchi Sea, the Bering Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. It noted that the joint patrol of Russian and Chinese aircraft lasted more than 5 hours, stressing that the aircraft's route did not violate the airspace of foreign countries during the joint patrol.