Tensions are rising as China's first aircraft carrier strike group, the Liaoning, conducts military exercises in the Western Pacific, while Chinese warships successively pass through waters adjacent to Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan in "shows of force."

The Japanese Ministry of Defense announced that at around 10 a.m. on October 27, a total of four Chinese warships and coast guard vessels passed through the Osumi Strait, south of Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu, and headed toward the Pacific Ocean.

Among the four vessels spotted were three East Theater Command naval ships—the Type 055 "next-generation destroyer" Dongguan, the Type 052D destroyer Baotou, and the Type 054A frigate Xuzhou—along with China Coast Guard vessel 2307.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense explained that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force confirmed the Chinese naval and coast guard vessels passing eastward through the Osumi Strait and dispatched patrol aircraft and destroyers to conduct surveillance activities.

This marks the first time the Japanese Ministry of Defense has publicly announced that Chinese naval and coast guard vessels passed through waters surrounding Japan together.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense stated that earlier on the morning of October 27, a destroyer with hull number 117 (the Type 052D destroyer Xining) and a frigate with hull number 546 (the Type 054A frigate Yancheng) passed between the main island of Okinawa and Miyako Island, sailing southeast toward the Pacific Ocean. In a separate press release on the same day, it reported that a Chinese naval formation including destroyer hull number 102 (Fushun) and comprehensive supply ship hull number 903 (Kekexilihu) moved in the same direction.

Citing announcements from the Japanese side, the Chinese state-run English-language media outlet Global Times explained that the number of Chinese naval and coast guard vessels identified in the waters over the past few weeks has reached at least 17 (including over 12 naval ships), adding that the successive movements of Chinese vessels follow the October 14 announcement of the Liaoning strike group's training in the Western Pacific.

Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported that it is on guard against the "navalization" of the China Coast Guard and the expansion of joint military activities between China's navy and coast guard, noting that the Chinese coast guard vessel that passed through the Osumi Strait appeared to be equipped with autocannons.

Under the Coast Guard Law implemented in 2021, the China Coast Guard is authorized to use weapons if it determines that China's sovereignty is being violated.

The Osumi Strait is a narrow channel located between southern Kyushu and Tanegashima, Mageshima, and Yakushima. As it is considered high seas under international law, there are no legal issues with foreign warships passing through it.

Citing announcements from the Japanese side, the Chinese state-run English-language media outlet Global Times explained that the number of Chinese naval and coast guard vessels identified in the waters over the past few weeks has reached at least 17 (including over 12 naval ships), adding that the successive movements of Chinese vessels follow the October 14 announcement of the Liaoning strike group's training in the Western Pacific.

However, the Global Times did not mention the Liaoning's sailing route or its specific current location.

Citing Chinese military expert Song Zhongping, the Global Times evaluated that "this formation represents the 'top-tier composition' of an aircraft carrier strike group."

Song specifically explained that the Type 055 destroyers included in this strike group will become a core component of the Chinese navy in future aircraft carrier escort missions.

The Chinese military is currently operating 10 Type 055 destroyers (eight from the first batch and two from the second batch), he noted.

He added that because the Type 055 destroyers are equipped with air defense, anti-submarine warfare, and surface-and-ground strike capabilities, they could take over some of the missions currently handled by the mainstay Type 052D vessels, and could also be deployed for distant-waters escort missions in areas such as the Gulf of Aden in the future.


The Chinese Navy announced on October 14 that it would send the Liaoning strike group to the Western Pacific to conduct military exercises.

This is its first blue-water training in four months, following about 40 days of exercises in the South China Sea and Western Pacific in May and June.

While the Chinese Navy claimed that this training is routine and not aimed at any specific country or target, Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan are closely monitoring the movements of the Chinese military amid tension.

Japanese media reported that Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi held a bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in Cebu, Philippines, where he was attending the 13th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus on October 28. The two sides shared the view that China's military influence is actively expanding in areas such as the East China Sea and reaffirmed their stance on U.S.-Japan security cooperation to strengthen deterrence against China.

The Global Times also reported that the Philippine military spotted and tracked the Liaoning strike group passing through the waters of the Zamboanga Peninsula on October 22, suggesting that this maneuver is aimed not only at Japan but also at the Philippines, which is locked in territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

The media outlet reported that this is the second instance of the Liaoning passing through central Philippine waters, following a similar occurrence in 2024.

Joseph Wu, Secretary-General of Taiwan's National Security Council (NSC)—which serves as the control tower for foreign and security policy—emphasized via social media on October 28 that the Liaoning strike group is conducting large-scale maritime exercises in the waters east of the First Island Chain (Okinawa-Taiwan-Philippines-Malacca Strait), stating, "It is clearly evident that this simultaneously threatens Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)