China’s Coast Guard claimed it entered waters of the Arctic Ocean for the first time as part of a joint patrol with Russia – in the latest sign of enhanced coordination between the two in a region where Beijing has long wished to expand its footprint.

China said its Coast Guard vessels entered the Arctic Ocean for the first time, patroling the waters jointly with Russian ships on a mission that underscored the growing cooperation between Beijing and Moscow in the region.

Russia has ramped up its naval and aerial activities near U.S. territory and in the Indo-Pacific, now working closely with China. Recently, six Russian and four Chinese warships conducted joint patrols in the western Pacific,