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By Charlie McCarthy From Newsmax

oint military exercises between China and Russia have raised concerns in the United States, The New York Times reported.

The exercises, which involved long-range bombers patrolling together and live-fire naval drills, have taken place near Alaska, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.

“Though we say the military exercises do not target any third party, it actually has a target: the hegemony of the U.S., and the bloc that the U.S. built with its alliance for containment against China,” Song Zhongping, an independent defense analyst based in Beijing and a former Chinese military officer, told The Times.

The joint exercises raise questions as to whether the U.S. could win a war in Asia against the combined forces of China and Russia.

Pentagon officials have long considered scenarios against China and Russia individually, but the prospect of fighting the two nuclear-armed states together seemed so unlikely.

U.S. officials say China’s buying of Russian oil and its supplying of dual-use technology to Moscow has sustained Putin’s war effort in Ukraine.

Beijing, meanwhile, needs Russia as its only major-power partner to offset the U.S.

“China finds itself in a very difficult geopolitical situation,” said Alexander Korolev, an expert on China-Russia relations at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, The Times reported. “It doesn’t really have any allies. Russia is the only country that can make a difference.”

The strengthening relationship between China and Russia has been evident in recent years.

After Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing in May, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to work with Putin to “rejuvenate” their countries and added China would “always be a good partner” of Russia, according to Chinese state media.

China has tried to use trade to court European countries and investments to build its influence among poorer countries.

Last month, Army Gen. Laura J. Richardson told attendees of the Aspen Security Forum that Russian warships had made port visits to Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, and 22 nations in the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility had signed on to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Still, those efforts can go only so far in countering U.S. dominance.

China’s military exercises with Russia partly stem from Beijing’s frustration with American trade restrictions and the U.S. building of security alliances in Asia.

“Beijing increasingly feels that diplomatic and economic actions are not enough to get its points across to Washington, so it is relying more on its military as a tool for signaling. Partnering with Russia is a way to amplify Beijing’s messaging,” said Brian Hart, a fellow with the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, The Times reported.

Reuters contributed to this story.

Charlie McCarthy ✉

Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.

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