Chinese brinkmanship challenges Japan and US in East China Sea, Liaoning aircraft carrier sends its fighters near disputed islands

Time of India

26-05-2025

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On the waters off Kuba Island in the East China Sea, less than 200 kilometers from Japan's Senkaku Islands, a growing sense of unease swept through Tokyo's defense circles over the weekend. The Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, along with four People's Liberation Army Navy destroyers, was spotted executing take-off and landing exercises involving fighter jets and helicopters, alarmingly close to Japan's southwestern frontier.This marked the first time Beijing has deployed the Liaoning for such operations in the East China Sea, a highly sensitive and contested maritime zone. The Japanese Defense Ministry confirmed the development late Sunday, May 25, noting that the Chinese carrier group was operating in waters north of the Senkakus, a territory administered by Japan but claimed by China as the Diaoyu Islands.Also read: China's Jiutian SS-UAV spooks US, challenges its air superiority, but can it outfly latest air defenses? Japan's Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighter jets in response to the drills, though no violations of airspace were reported. Nonetheless, the proximity of China's warships to Japanese territory signaled more than a routine naval exercise, it was a calculated move, one that has put both Japan and its ally, the United States, on high alert.The Senkaku Islands, nationalized by Japan in 2012, fall under the protective umbrella of Article 5 of the US-Japan security treaty . This means that any attack on the islands is considered an attack on Japan, and by extension, an attack on US interests. By edging closer to the islands, China is not only challenging Japanese sovereignty but also poking at the credibility of US commitments in the Indo-Pacific.Earlier this month, those tensions escalated further when a Chinese Coast Guard helicopter violated Japanese airspace around the Senkakus. The intrusion marked only the fourth time a Chinese aircraft has entered Japanese airspace, but the first time it was a helicopter. The incident followed a civilian Japanese plane's flight through the area, drawing even more attention to Beijing's determination to normalize its presence in the disputed zone.Also read: US Hellscape military doctrine aims to fight China without soldiers on the frontline Chinese government vessels have now maintained a near-constant presence in the region. As of Monday, May 26, Chinese patrol ships had entered the area for 189 consecutive days. In 2024, Beijing's vessels were logged in the waters for a record-breaking 355 days, a clear effort to establish control and reframe the narrative of ownership.While the Liaoning tightens its grip on the East China Sea, eyes are also on China's third and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian. State-run media revealed that the warship is undergoing intensive sea trials, including tests for its new electromagnetic catapult system, a leap in capability that could drastically increase the carrier's daily sortie rate.According to Chinese military analyst Cao Weidong, the launch system will allow China to 'seize air and maritime supremacy,' a phrase that rings ominously across defense communities in both Tokyo and Washington.In September, 2024, the Liaoning also entered Japan's contiguous zone, waters extending 24 nautical miles from the coast, further pushing the boundaries of China's naval activity. Beijing later claimed its aircraft intrusions were accidental, but the pattern points toward a slow, methodical strategy to wear down regional resistance.