TSUGARU STRAIT — A joint naval exercise between China and Russia has completed a near full circle of Japan, reinforcing tensions in the region, according to CNN. <br /> <br /> <br />The Chinese warships included a Type 055 destroyer[h], a Type 052D destroyer[i] and two Type 054A frigates[j], while the Russian ships included two Udaloy class destroyers, two Steregushchiy class corvettes and a Marshal Nedelin class ship, according to The Drive. <br /> <br /> <br />The exercises have brought the charge of hypocrisy because China regularly condemns similar exercises by the U.S. in the Taiwan Strait as destabilizing. <br /> <br /> <br />Two weeks ago, for instance, the Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command suggested a U.S. and Canadian transit could ‘seriously jeopardize peace and stability’ in the strait, according to CNN. <br /> <br /> <br />Both those ships and now the Chinese and Russian vessels remained in international waters, but notably the Chinese and Russian ships took a route through the Tsugaru Strait, which is only around 12 miles wide at its narrowest point. <br /> <br /> <br />That places them well within the area that can be claimed by a country under international law, albeit Japan only actually claims areas three miles from either shore. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />
