Chinese and Russian warships ships spotted off Alaskan island

A combined Chinese and Russian naval convoy, including a guided missile cruiser and a destroyer have been spotted close to an Alaskan island by the US Coastguard.

Two other Chinese naval ships and three Russian naval vessels were sighted in the Bering Sea in a single formation 86 miles (138 km) from Kiska Island by the US Coast Guard cutter, Kimball.

The Honolulu-based vessel monitored the ships before they broke formation and dispersed.

A C-130 Hercules provided air support from the Coast Guard station in Kodiak.

"While the formation has operated in accordance with international rules and norms, we will meet presence with presence to ensure there are no disruptions to US interests in the maritime environment around Alaska," Rear Admiral Nathan Moore, Seventeenth Coast Guard District commander, said.

The Coast Guard said Operation Frontier Sentinel guidelines call for meeting "presence with presence" when strategic competitors operate in and around US waters.

The incident came a month after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned about China's interest in the Arctic and Russia's growing military build up there.