China Flexes Naval Muscles On Crucial US Ally

The Chinese Navy sent two aircraft carriers to conduct drills in close proximity to Japanese waters in a major show of force, Japanese officials said Monday.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy deployed the Liaoning and the Shandong on Friday and Saturday along with an entourage of Chinese warships as close as 185 miles from Japan’s shores, according to multiplereports. The incidents mark the first time that the Chinese have sent the carriers into the deep Pacific Ocean as their Navy improves its ability to venture into deep waters.

The Pentagon said in December 2024 that China has slowly been expanding its operational capabilities in the ocean, but their presence remains modest as navy personnel and ships gain more experience operating outside China’s normal operational areas according to the Wall Street Journal.

Just a few days later on Tuesday, the USS George Washington departed its dock in Japan to conduct its first patrol on the sea, according to Stars And Stripes.

A senior Taiwanese official told the WSJ that the move was “pressure to the extreme” and marked the Chinese navy’s first attempt to break its force projection through the so-called “first chain” of islands on its periphery. The “first chain” bounds a perimeter around Taiwan and much of the South China Sea up to Japan’s southernmost islands.