Chinese and Japanese Forces in Close Encounter at Sea
This week, China’s military released a video showing a close encounter between a Chinese aircraft carrier group and a Japanese warship. This occurred during a deployment in the Western Pacific Ocean. Such encounters in international waters have become frequent as China expands naval exercises beyond its coastal areas.
The Chinese military accused the Japanese forces of close-in tracking, surveillance, harassment, and provocations during the Liaoning carrier group’s 40-day deployment in the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea. The Chinese reportedly handled the situation professionally.
Japan has not publicly commented on the incident. The Defense Ministry did not respond to requests for comment. This incident coincides with rising tensions over Japan’s military modernization efforts, supported by the U.S., and warnings from China about potential militarism from Japan.
The Liaoning, a Soviet-built carrier, is China’s first operational aircraft carrier since 2012. China released the video as the Liaoning ended its “far-seas combat training” and returned to Qingdao in the East China Sea.
Footage from China’s state media showed the Liaoning carrier group being shadowed by the Japanese destroyer JS Asahi, with Japanese patrol planes also flying overhead. Japan’s Defense Ministry reported monitoring the Liaoning as it entered the Philippine Sea in May and confirmed the destroyer Asahi monitored the carrier group as it returned to the East China Sea on June 20.
Another report in China Daily, republished on the Chinese armed forces’ official news portal, showed a Chinese fighter jet monitoring a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon patrol plane. No date was given for this encounter, and it was not mentioned in Chinese military press releases.
The U.S. Pacific Command did not reply to requests for comment. The recent deployment was the Liaoning’s first in wider Pacific waters since December. Last year, both the Liaoning and the Shandong, China’s second operational carrier, were deployed in the Philippine Sea.
The Chinese military stated that the deployment involved realistic combat exercises, flight drills, and search and rescue training. They described the exercises as routine, in line with international law, and not targeting any specific country.