Chinese warships have been circling Japan’s islands for the past week, according to Japan’s Defense General Staff, raising alarm in the US. This is clearly a simulated naval blockade of Japanese islands by Beijing, in a move of the utmost provocation according to Tokyo.
People’s Liberation Army of China guided missile destroyers NS Guiyang (119) and CNS Qiqihar (121) as well as CNS Taihu (889) were seen sailing northeast in an area 25 miles northwest of Rebun Island, located 30 miles northwest tip of the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
The Chinese cruiser CNS Lhasa (102) and frigate CNS Zaozhuang (542) were also seen at midnight on Saturday sailing northeast in the same area.
All five ships then sailed through the La Pérouse Strait, which separates Hokkaido from the Russian island of Sakhalin, in the Sea of Okhotsk.
Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) destroyer JS Wakataka (PG-825) and JMSDF P-3C Orions (MPA) maritime patrol aircraft from JMSDF Hachinohe monitored the Chinese warships.
The Chinese Dongdia-class intelligence warship Kaiyangxing (796) is circling the Japanese island of Honshu. The Chinese ship was seen sailing northeast in an area 18 miles southwest of Cape Tapi, Honshu Island. The Chinese spy ship then sailed through the Tsugaru Strait that separates Japan’s Honshu and Hokkaido islands.
On May 3, the Chinese destroyer CNS Baotou (133) and frigate CNS Xuzhou (530) sailed southwest to an area 50 miles northwest of Japan’s Uotsuri Island, which is part of the disputed Senkaku Islands contested by Japan and China.
Chinese state media is warning that the Chinese Liberation Army (PLA) is “ready to act” on military moves by the US, South Korea and Japan.
The warning comes at a time when China’s main rival, the United States (US), is moving quickly to create an effective deterrent against North Korea’s growing missile program.
“The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is on ‘high alert’ as a result of increased engagement and military cooperation by the United States (US) with China’s regional rivals, Japan and South Korea,” Chinese media reported.
Japan announced Monday (May 8) that it will deploy Patriot MIM-104F (PAC-3) missiles to Miyako Island. During a press conference, Matsuno Hirokazu, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, announced that the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s PAC-3 surface-to-air guided missiles will be deployed at its base on Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture.
He said this deployment is designed in response to the threat of possible long-range ballistic missiles launched by North Korea.
Matsuno pointed out that PAC-3 missiles have already been deployed to garrisons on Ishigaki and Yonaguni islands. He emphasized that “we are building an appropriate attitude” and added that “we will do everything possible to ensure the peace and security of our country.”
China’s PLA Daily warned of the increasing frequency of military maneuvers between the three countries in what China considers its own “backyard”.
