WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard says it spotted two Russian ships and two Chinese vessels passing through the Bering Sea in formation on Saturday, in a sign of the growing cooperation between Beijing and Moscow in the Arctic. It says the Chinese and Russian coast guard ships were spotted about five miles inside the Russian exclusive economic zone in the northernmost location where Chinese vessels have been seen by the U.S. Coast Guard. The Bering Sea separates Russia from Alaska. Rear Adm. Megan Dean, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District, said in a statement that this recent activity “demonstrates the increased interest in the Arctic by our strategic competitors.”
