China deploys warships for Pacific drills as Japan tensions rise

BEIJING – China has sent a group of warships to hold drills in the western Pacific Ocean, a move that comes as Japan for the first time joined massive exercises with the US and the Philippines, highlighting growing tensions between Tokyo and Beijing.

The Chinese navy has dispatched a naval task group led by the Type 052D destroyer Baotou to transit between Japan’s Amami Oshima and Yokoate islands and conduct training in the Western Pacific, according to a statement from the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theatre Command on April 19.

The Chinese drills also come days after it criticised Tokyo for sending a warship through the Taiwan Strait.

They are designed to test the forces’ far-seas operational capabilities, according to the statement, which characterised the operation as routine training exercise that is not directed at any specific country or target. 

The training plan illustrates how China’s navy is becoming more active west of the so-called First Island Chain, which extends from Japan, through Taiwan and down to the Philippines.

In June 2025, Japan said it observed two Chinese aircraft carriers and supporting warships operating simultaneously near remote Japanese islands in the Pacific Ocean for the first time.

While Japan regularly reports seeing Chinese warships passing by its south-western islands, this is the first time that China has announced that naval ships will transit the Yokoate Waterway, which is closer to the Japanese mainland than the more commonly used Miyako Strait for access to the Pacific Ocean.

China’s latest exercise comes as the US, the Philippines and other nations including Japan started major joint drills in the Philippines called Balikatan on April 20.

This marks Japan’s first participation in the Balikatan combat drills.

Tension between Japan and China remains high.

On April 17, China criticised the presence of a Japanese Self-Defence Forces vessel in the Taiwan Strait.

At a regular press briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun described the move as “provocative” and said that Beijing has lodged an official protest with Tokyo.

Japan has not confirmed the Taiwan Strait transit, but local media reports say it was the fourth by a Japanese warship since 2024.

Beijing continues to pressure Tokyo over comments on Taiwan by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in 2025, when she suggested Tokyo could deploy its military if China uses force to try and seize Taiwan.

Ms Takaichi has refused to withdraw her comments on the island democracy, which China claims as its own territory.

Since then, Beijing has unveiled a series of punitive actions targeting Japan’s import of dual-use items for military purposes, as well as tourism.

Tokyo so far has not directly retaliated against the moves. 

The excursion also comes after the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theatre Command announced on April 18 that it conducted joint naval and air readiness patrols aimed at testing joint naval and air capabilities in the East China Sea. 

The Type 052 is a third-generation destroyer of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, forming the majority of its destroyer fleet.

Baotou was noted by the state broadcaster as a newer vessel that has comprehensive anti-submarine and air defence capabilities. BLOOMBERG