Russian and Chinese military planes conducted joint patrols near the U.S. state of Alaska, the Russian defense ministry said on Thursday (July 25).

The planes did not violate the airspace of other countries, the ministry said.

Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for China’s defense ministry, said the joint patrol deepened strategic mutual trust and coordination between the two militaries, and did not target any third parties, adding it had "nothing to do with the current international and regional situation".

The U.S. military's North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said that U.S. and Canadian fighter jets had intercepted the Russian and People's Republic of China (PRC) aircraft in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).