Heat turned up on China-Japan relationship with maritime disputes over islands and alliances
- Debates in Japan over raising defence spending and potentially developing nuclear-powered submarines will be viewed with concern in Beijing
- As the PLA Navy grows more advanced, it will venture deeper into the ocean, requiring transit through the Sea of Japan and the Tsugaru Strait, says analyst
But compared with the long-running island dispute, in which Beijing mostly sends coastguard vessels, separate Chinese warship activities near Japan are more alarming from Tokyo’s perspective.
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Russian and Chinese bombers flew near Japan during Quad summit in Tokyo
Three Chinese warships – the Lhasa, a Type 55 guided-missile destroyer, destroyer Chengdu and replenishment ship Dongpinghu – were spotted on Tuesday in the Izu Islands south of Tokyo, according to Japan’s defence ministry.
The Chinese warships had been operating in partnership with five Russian warships since June 12, the ministry said, but there was no confirmation from Russia and China they were coordinating with each other.
Japan was then prompted to send a Maritime Self-Defence Force flotilla to 11 Indo-Pacific countries as part of joint naval exercises with the US and its allies to counter a more assertive China, according to Kyodo news agency.
During exercises in May, the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning launched fighters near Japan and the carrier was later shadowed by Japan’s Izumo helicopter destroyer in the western Pacific.