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Admiral John C. Aquilino, the head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, said he is “very concerned” about the intensifying joint military activities of China and Russia in the Indo-Pacific region.

Speaking in Tokyo amidst North Korea’s latest intercontinental ballistic missile test, Aquilino highlighted the growing threats in the region. Aquilino specifically called out China’s increased maritime confrontations with its neighbors and its growing military cooperation with Russia, especially during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

He said, “I view it as far beyond the marriage of convenience at this point in time. If you tied DPRK (North Korea) into that, the Russia-DPRK cooperation, and the fact that the only partner of the DPRK prior to that was (China), that’s just a bad neighborhood and bad group to be in.”

Recent joint Chinese and Russian bomber flights near Japanese and Korean airspace have escalated tensions, prompting Japan to scramble fighter jets in response. Japan, grappling with its territorial disputes with China over the East China Sea islands and considering China a security threat, is particularly alarmed by these developments.

Aquilino highlighted the regional implications, noting China’s increasing tensions with other neighbors, including the Philippines, over the South China Sea. In the last few weeks, the US has warned China against escalating conflicts in the area, particularly with its treaty ally, the Philippines.