Latest news with #aircraftcarriers
New York Times
8 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
China Sends Two Aircraft Carriers Into the Pacific for the First Time
In a display of Beijing's growing military reach, the Chinese Navy sent two aircraft carriers into the Pacific Ocean, far from the country's coast, for the first time to conduct exercises together, Japan's defense minister, Gen Nakatani, said. Mr. Nakatani told reporters on Monday that the Chinese aircraft carriers were spotted launching and retrieving jet fighters out in the Pacific to the east of the Japanese island of Iwo Jima, about 750 miles south of Tokyo. He said the Japanese navy was monitoring the joint exercise by both vessels, which began on Saturday. It was the first time that China's two active-duty aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, and their escort ships had operated together in the Pacific beyond the islands of Japan, which form a natural barrier that Beijing calls the First Island Chain. To escape the confines of that chain, China has been strengthening its navy by adding aircraft carriers, which can project force far greater distances. In addition to the Liaoning and the Shandong, China has built a third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, which is undergoing sea trials before entering active duty. A fourth aircraft carrier is under construction. By cruising beyond Japan, the Chinese warships are demonstrating that they could challenge not only Japan but also its biggest ally, the United States, for control of the western Pacific during a crisis. If the United States deployed ships from Hawaii, the West Coast or even Guam, they would have to pass near those waters to reach Japan or Taiwan. China claims Taiwan, a self-governing island, as its own territory, but the United States has pledged to help defend it. So far, the Chinese ships are smaller and carry fewer planes than America's 11 large nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The Chinese buildup has also prompted Japan to build its first small aircraft carriers since World War II, which will be capable of carrying U.S.-made F-35B stealth fighters. Hisako Ueno contributed reporting from Tokyo.
The Independent
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
What the discovery of Chinese warships in the Pacific signals about Beijing's intentions
The Japanese navy spotted two Chinese aircraft carriers, Liaoning and Shandong, operating simultaneously in the Pacific Ocean, marking the first such occurrence and signalling China's intent to expand its naval capabilities. The Shandong strike group was seen operating fighter jets and helicopters about 500km southwest of Iwo Jima, while the Liaoning group was located 300km southwest of Minamitori Island. The carriers were beyond Japan's second chain islands, a strategic group of islands in the West Pacific seen as the second line of defence against potential Chinese military escalation. Japan dispatched warships and aircraft to monitor the Chinese operations, with defence minister Gen Nakatani stating Japan's commitment to deter any forceful changes to the regional status quo. China's foreign ministry defended the presence of its aircraft carriers, asserting that the activities are consistent with international law.
The Independent
13 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Japan finds pair of Chinese aircraft carriers conducting operations in Pacific for first time
The Japanese navy sighted two Chinese aircraft carriers conducting simultaneous operations in the Pacific for the first time in a move signalling Beijing 's intention to expand its blue water capabilities. Liaoning and Shandong were seen operating in separate areas of the Pacific Ocean over the weekend, the Japanese defence ministry said on Tuesday. The Shandong strike group was seen carrying out what appeared to be take-off and landing operations of its fighter jets and helicopters about 500km southwest of Iwo Jima and north of Okinotori. The Liaoning group was found 300km southwest of Minamitori Island on Saturday and a little further away on Sunday. It was also operating its air wings. The carriers were seen in blue waters beyond Japan 's second chain islands. Seen as the second line of defence in the event of a military escalation by China in the region, the chain comprises a strategic group of islands in the middle of the West Pacific, including a US military base in Guam, around 2,700km from Taiwan. The Japanese military said they dispatched warships and aircraft to monitor the Chinese operations in the region. 'Japan's prompt disclosure of information concerning the carriers underscores its commitment to deter any forceful, unilateral shifts in the regional status quo," defence minister Gen Nakatani told a press conference. Stopping short of criticising Beijing, the minister said Japan had engaged with China to ensure its operations in the international waters did not pose any threat to his country's security. Mr Nakatani said Japan was pursuing a buildup of air defences in the Pacific region and was closely monitoring the movements of Chinese naval vessels. One of the carriers seen on Saturday, Liaoning, was accompanied by guided missile destroyers Wuxi and Tangshan as well as the fast combat support ship Hulunhu, the South China Morning Post reported. Japan previously claimed that Liaoning had sailed within its exclusive economic zone near Minamitorishima, a remote island east of Iwo Jima. Responding to Japan's statement, the Chinese foreign ministry defended the presence of its aircraft carriers in the area and said Beijing's activities were consistent with international law and practice. 'China has always pursued a defensive national defence policy and hopes that the Japanese side will look at the matter objectively and rationally," Lin Jian, foreign ministry spokesperson, said at a news briefing. China has been increasing its presence in East Asian waters since May by sending an unusually large number of naval and coast guard vessels to the region. At the same time, it has been conducting daily military drills in the Taiwan Strait, in what critics have called staging exercises of a military escalation against the self-governed island.
Khaleej Times
14 hours ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Japan sights two Chinese aircraft carriers in Pacific for the first time
Two Chinese aircraft carriers were spotted conducting simultaneous operations in the Pacific for the first time, in a move that Japan's defence minister said signified Beijing's intention to further widen its capabilities beyond its borders. The operations were a "routine training" exercise that did not target specific countries or regions, Wang Xuemeng, a spokesperson for the Chinese Navy, said in a statement, however. Since May, China has been flexing its muscles by sending an unusually large number of naval and coast guard vessels through a swathe of East Asian waters, according to security documents and officials, in moves that have unnerved regional capitals. Japan's defence ministry has confirmed the two carriers, Liaoning and Shandong, were operating in separate areas in the Pacific on Saturday, both near remote southern islands belonging to Japan. "Japan's prompt disclosure of information concerning the carriers underscores its commitment to deter any forceful, unilateral shifts in the regional status quo," Defence Minister Gen Nakatani told a press conference. He added that Tokyo has engaged with Beijing to ensure its operations did not pose a threat to Japan's national security, but stopped short of criticising the neighbour. Japan is pursuing the build-up of its Pacific air defences and will closely monitor the movements of Chinese naval vessels, Nakatani said. Earlier, Japan said the Liaoning sailed within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Minamitorishima, a remote island east of Iwo Jima. Beijing's activities were consistent with international law and practice, its foreign ministry said.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Japan says two Chinese aircraft carriers seen in Pacific
Two Chinese aircraft carriers were operating in the Pacific for the first time, according to Japan, whose defence minister said Tuesday the move revealed the expansion of Beijing's military activities. China's Shandong and Liaoning carriers -- its only two currently in operation, with a third undergoing sea trials -- were both spotted with their fleets in recent days, Tokyo said. "We believe the Chinese military's purpose is to improve its operational capability and ability to conduct operations in distant areas," a defence ministry spokesman told AFP. Defence Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters the sightings show that the Chinese military's "activity area is expanding". "Japan has expressed its position that the Chinese activities should not threaten Japan's safety" through diplomatic routes to Beijing, Nakatani said. The Japanese military would continue to closely monitor and patrol the operations of Chinese naval warships, he added. China's use of naval and air assets to press its territorial claims has rattled the United States and its allies in the Asia-Pacific region. When asked about the moves at a regular news briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian reiterated a statement given the previous day about the Liaoning's trip. "The activities of Chinese warships in the relevant sea areas are fully in line with international law and international practice," he said, adding that Japan should "take an objective and rational look at this issue". - Island chains - On Monday, the Shandong sailed inside the Japanese economic waters surrounding the remote Pacific atoll of Okinotori, Tokyo's defence ministry said. It was accompanied by four other vessels including a missile destroyer, and fighter jets and helicopters conducted take-offs and landings there, having also been seen sailing through Pacific waters on Saturday. The ministry previously said that China's other operational carrier Liaoning and its fleet entered Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Pacific over the weekend, before exiting to conduct drills involving fighter jets. Japanese and US defence officials say China wants to push the American military out of the so-called "first island chain" from Japan down through the Philippines. Eventually, its strategy is to dominate areas west of the "second island chain" in the Pacific between Japan's remote Ogasawara Islands and the US territory of Guam, they say. The Liaoning's recent cruise eastwards marked the first time the Japanese defence ministry has said a Chinese aircraft carrier had crossed the second island chain. Daisuke Kawai from the University of Tokyo's economic security research programme told AFP these activities represent "a highly significant strategic escalation". "China's naval incursions into Japan's EEZ are unquestionably provocative, strategically designed to test Japan's reaction thresholds without crossing the legal line into outright illegality under international law," he said. - Third carrier - In September, the Liaoning sailed between two Japanese islands near Taiwan and entered Japan's contiguous waters, an area up to 24 nautical miles from its coast. At the time, Tokyo called that move "unacceptable" and expressed "serious concerns" to Beijing. Under international law, a state has rights to the management of natural resources and other economic activities within its EEZ, which is within 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) of its coastline. Kawai said the anticipated commissioning of Beijing's third aircraft carrier, named Fujian, later this year means that "China's maritime operational tempo and geographic scope of influence will significantly increase". And the timing of the sailings could be linked to the broader context of US-China economic tensions. "Senior US policymakers, including President Trump himself, have shifted their focus from strategic containment of China toward securing economic compromises," Kawai said. "Thus, Beijing calculated that the United States would be less willing or able to respond militarily at this precise moment, seeing it as an opportune time to demonstrate its expanding military capabilities." kh-ehl/kaf/mtp
