The joint strategic air patrol between China and Russia is an operation under the annual cooperation plan between the two countries, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun said in Beijing on Wednesday.
Guo made the remarks at a regular press briefing in response to a media query about the joint strategic air patrol between China and Russia on Tuesday.
"China's Ministry of National Defense has released information on the China-Russia joint patrol. It needs to be stressed that the China-Russia joint strategic air patrol is an operation carried out under the annual cooperation plan, and showcases the two sides' determination and capability in jointly responding to regional security challenges and keeping the region peaceful and stable," he said.
China-Russia joint air patrol under annual cooperation plan: spokesman
Two U.S. F-18 fighter jets entered Venezuelan airspace on Tuesday, circling for about 40 minutes.
The jets flew within 100 miles (about 161 km) of Maracaibo, Venezuela's second-largest city which is home to Rafael Urdaneta Air Base, one of the main military air bases in western Venezuela, according to a report from the Miami Herald.
Data from Sweden's FlightRadar24 showed the jets flying over the northern tip of Lake Maracaibo, above the waters of the Gulf of Venezuela, and between the cities of La Guajira, in Zulia state, and Coro, the capital of Falcon state. Zulia state is a key oil and gas producing region in Venezuela, while Falcon state has some of the country’s biggest refineries.
FlightRadar24 data also showed a U.S. MQ-4C Triton drone flying close to Venezuela’s coast on Tuesday, although it did not appear to enter Venezuelan airspace.
Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil warned on Tuesday that the U.S. actions pose an extremely serious challenge to regional security and peace.
The president of Venezuela's National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez Gomez, said that the U.S. military activities around the country were not intended to "combat drug trafficking", as the U.S, claims, but to attack and destroy Venezuela.
Iran warned that the recent situation poses a threat to peace in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by telephone on Tuesday and reiterated his country's "willingness to stand by Venezuela", the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry reported.
Pezeshkian also said that U.S. provocations of Venezuela "violate the principles of international law and constitute a dangerous precedent for the peoples of the world."
U.S. fighter jets enter Venezuelan airspace as tensions escalate
