Chinese naval task force creates a storm in Japan
Military buildup in the Pacific Ocean and the East and South China Seas highlight China’s threat
A Chinese naval task force has been spotted near a remote island east of Iwo Jima in the Pacific Ocean. Escorted by missile destroyers, the Liaoning aircraft carrier entered Japan’s exclusive economic zone over the weekend before conducting military drills.
China’s incursion into waters 186 miles, or 300 kilometers, from Minamitori has already sounded alarm bells in Tokyo and Washington. Fears have been growing about Beijing’s “increasingly assertive naval and air activity” near Japan.
The latest exercises by the maritime wing of the People’s Liberation Army took place just 1,000 miles, or around 1,680 kilometers, from Tokyo.
“We think the Chinese military is trying to improve its operational capability and ability to conduct operations in distant areas,” a spokesperson for Japan’s Defense Ministry told the Agence France-Presse news agency.
Yoshimasa Hayashi, the Japanese government’s chief cabinet secretary, confirmed that a protest had been lodged with Beijing. “We will do our utmost to warn and [carry out] surveillance duties at sea and in the air,” he told the Kyodo news agency.
China now possesses the largest maritime fighting force.
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Red tide:
- President Xi Jinping appears determined to turn the East and South China Seas into “private lakes,” as Beijing ramps up false historical propaganda claims.
- The first island chain, which includes Taiwan, the Philippines and Japan, is being targeted amid a rapid Chinese naval build up in the Pacific Ocean.
Delve deeper: The Iwo Jima flashpoint came just a week after a hard-hitting speech by the United States Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore.
Between the lines: He warned that Beijing was planning to “alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific,” stressing that the risks posed by the People’s Liberation Army represent a clear and present danger.
Big picture: China “now possesses the world’s largest maritime fighting force,” according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Bottom line: “If [it] continues to expand its fleet at the current pace and the United States does not revitalize its shipbuilding industry, China [would] likely emerge victorious from a prolonged great power war,” a CSIS commentary stated.
China Factor comment: President Donald Trump’s second term has descended into self-inflicted trade wars and geopolitical chaos. This has allowed Xi to fast-track his expansive military policies. It is time for Washington to push back at this new reality.