China, Russia Conduct Joint Drills in Japan's EEZ | Could Tokyo Obtain Nuclear Weapons?
China and Russia have intensified their military cooperation with live-fire naval drills in the Yellow Sea, followed by a joint warship patrol that circled much of Japan. The deployment included a Chinese destroyer conducting weapons exercises inside Japan’s claimed exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Okinotori, prompting protests from Tokyo. As Beijing and Moscow deepen operational coordination, Japan is responding with higher defense spending, closer ties with NATO and enhanced surveillance across the First Island Chain. What military capabilities were China and Russia testing—and what message were they sending to Japan, Taiwan and the United States? In this episode, we examine the growing scale of China–Russia military cooperation, Japan’s response and what the expanding partnership means for security in the Western Pacific and the Indo-Pacific. *Recorded on July 29, 2026 at 11pm Taiwan Standard Time Host: Rath Wang Producer: Miguel Yang Videographer: Celest Kao Our guests: Lai I-chung - Prospect Foundation President Riley Walters - Hudson Institute Senior Fellow
