The South Korean Ministry of Defense has lodged a “stern” protest with the Moscow and Beijing governments after local media reported that Russian and Chinese military planes entered the country’s air defense identification zone during an unannounced joint patrol exercise, according to the Chinese Ministry of Defense.

South Korean fighter jets were scrambled on Tuesday in response to the presence of four military aircraft, two Russian and two Chinese, in the country’s airspace, which did not violate South Korea’s identification defense air zone (KADIZ).

Air defense zones are unregulated by any global regulations, in contrast to a nation’s airspace – the atmosphere above its land and territorial waters.

According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Yonhap News Agency of South Korea reported on Tuesday that aircraft would be required to acknowledge their presence upon entering the air defense zone in order to avoid unintentional conflicts.

Yonhap reported, citing a statement from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “According to our armed forces, the Chinese and Russian aircraft were recognized prior to their entrance into the KADIZ, and Air Force fighters were dispatched to take strategic measures in anticipation of possible unintentional circumstances.”

S. Korea expresses ‘stern’ protest to China, Russia over air defense zone incursion https://t.co/oIl0aM3pXn

— Yonhap News Agency (@YonhapNews) June 7, 2023

Yonhap reported that South Korea’s defense ministry said on Wednesday that it had expressed regret for military aircraft flying near sensitive areas and had lodged a protest with the Russian and Chinese embassies in Seoul, regarding the closure of our airspace.

The ministry has called on both countries to take appropriate measures to prevent the recurrence of such tensions that could cause regional flight, noting Yonhap.

On Tuesday, Japan also said that it scrambled fighter jets in response to a pair of Russian bomber planes that were joined by two Chinese fighter planes over the East China Sea and flew together as far as the Sea of Japan.

China’s defense ministry stated that the recent joint patrol, which took place in 2019, marked the sixth instance of such exercises between Beijing and Moscow. This endeavor was carried out as part of a collaborative plan.

Russian, Chinese Bombers Fly Joint Mission Near Japan, Korea as Russian Fleet Holds Major Drills in the Pacific – USNI Newshttps://t.co/flfzY4HnTa pic.twitter.com/ISdQvk7U6j

— U.S. Naval Institute (@NavalInstitute) June 6, 2023

Russian SU-35 fighter jets and TU-95 bombers, as well as Chinese H-6K bombers, entered the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) during a joint aerial patrol conducted by Russia and China in November 2022. South Korea also scrambled fighter jets in response.

During a joint patrol in May 2022, as Russian and Chinese warplanes neared Japan’s airspace, Tokyo was hosting a Quad summit with the leaders of Australia, India, and the United States, even though China said the exercise was not intended to intimidate.

The collaborative patrols of Beijing and Moscow are a constituent of the expanding links between the two in what has been referred to as an unbounded partnership.

China’s growing military presence in the Asia-Pacific region is also accompanied by increased military drills and maneuvers conducted by its regional allies and the United States.

The White House has recently cautioned about confrontations between American and Chinese forces – vessels and aircrafts – in both the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.

In order to prevent a potential crisis, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin emphasized at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier security summit held in Singapore over the weekend, the need for improved communication between Beijing and Washington.

Lloyd voiced his considerable concern regarding China’s unwillingness to engage in “enhanced systems for handling emergencies” between their respective military forces.

He mentioned that by engaging in more conversations, we can prevent miscalculations and misunderstandings, thus avoiding conflicts or crises from arising.

Austin also specifically mentioned Chinese aircraft engaging in “dangerous interceptions of US and allied planes flying legally in the global airspace”.

“We will not be discouraged by risky operational conduct at sea or in international airspace,” he stated.

China justified its actions by stating that Washington had incited such incidents through conducting close surveillance of Chinese territory.