Rear Adm. Megan Dean, the commander of the 17th Coast Guard District, reported earlier this month that China has demonstrated increased interest in the Arctic where—for the first time—China’s coast guard has been operating in the Bering Sea, not far from the coast of Alaska.
Specifically, two Chinese coast guard vessels, accompanied by two Russian border guard patrol vessels, were observed by the U.S. Coast Guard near the maritime boundary between the U.S. and Russia.
According to the report, the vessels were transiting in formation in the northeastern direction, staying approximately 5 miles inside the Russian Exclusive Economic Zone.
The increased military cooperation between China and Russia is not limited to the maritime domain. In July, U.S. fighters intercepted Chinese and Russian bombers operating together in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone, a…
