Asia (bbabo.net) - A US Coast Guard ship on routine patrol in the Bering Sea encountered a Chinese missile cruiser, officials in Washington said, The Associated Press (AP) reported today, September 27.2

It is indicated that the PRC Navy cruiser was not alone when it sailed 138 kilometers from Kiska Island in Alaska on September 19. The US patrol boat Kimball later discovered that two other Chinese Navy ships and four Russian warships were also in the sea square. Based in Honolulu, Kimball watched as the ships left formation and dispersed.

A C-130 Hercules aircraft provided air support to the Kimball from the US Coast Guard station at Kodiak.

“Although the formation acted in accordance with international rules and norms, we will respond to the presence with a presence to make sure that there are no violations of American interests in the maritime environment in the Alaska area,” said the commander of the 17th district of the US Coast Guard counter- Admiral Nathan Moore.

The US Navy said Operation Frontier Sentinel guidelines call for "presence" when strategic competitors operate in and around US waters.

The Sino-Russian maritime group appeared off the coast of the United States a month after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned of Beijing's interest in the Arctic and the buildup of Russian military power there, bbabo.net notes.

The administrative head of the North Atlantic Alliance said at the time that Russia had created a new Arctic Command, opened hundreds of new ones, and reopened former Soviet-era military installations in the Arctic, including deep-water ports and airfields. According to him, China has declared itself a "subarctic" state and plans to build the world's largest icebreaker.

“Beijing and Moscow also pledged to intensify practical cooperation in the Arctic. This is part of a deepening strategic partnership that challenges our values ​​and interests,” said the NATO Secretary General during a visit to Canada.

This is not the first time that Chinese naval vessels have entered Alaska waters. In September 2021, US Coast Guard boats in the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean collided with Chinese ships about 50 nautical miles (93 km) from the Aleutian Islands.

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