China Sends Warships Past Ryukyu Islands After Japanese Destroyer Transits Taiwan Strait

China's People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command has announced the dispatch of naval vessels, including the Type 052D destroyer Baotou, through the Yokoate Waterway into the western Pacific for training exercises. This move follows the transit of the Taiwan Strait by a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer, the Ikazuchi, and represents a significant escalation in the ongoing military tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over the self-governing island of Taiwan.

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the PLA Eastern Theater Command dispatched vessel formation 133 to transit Yokoate Waterway and conduct training in the Western Pacific, in order to test the far-seas operations capabilities of forces.

While the PLA spokesperson, Xu Chenghua, described the exercises as routine and compliant with international law, not targeting any specific country, military analysts view it as a clear show of force. Chinese military affairs expert Zhang Junshe stated that the Eastern Theater Command's actions were not aimed at normal navigation but were a direct response to Japan's "deliberate provocative actions" that threaten China's sovereignty and security and embolden "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

The situation has been further inflamed by Chinese state-run media, which emphasized that the Ikazuchi's passage on April 17 coincided with the anniversary of the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki. This historical treaty, signed after China's defeat in the Sino-Japanese War, resulted in the cession of Taiwan to Japan. This deliberate invocation of historical grievances underscores Beijing's perspective that Japan's actions are not merely routine military movements but carry significant historical and political weight, viewed as a challenge to China's territorial claims and national pride.

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This is a routine training organized in accordance with the annual plan. It complies with international law and practice, and does not target any specific country or entity.

From a Chinese perspective, as reported by outlets like the Global Times, Japan's destroyer transit, especially en route to joint military exercises with the US and the Philippines, is seen as a coordinated effort to contain China. The repeated transits by Japanese warships through the Taiwan Strait are interpreted not as freedom of navigation but as calculated provocations designed to challenge China's red lines. The Hankyoreh, in reporting this, highlights how China uses historical narratives and strategic positioning to frame these events, presenting its military responses as justified reactions to perceived aggression.

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The Eastern Theater Command’s countermeasures are not directed at normal navigation [by the Japanese destroyer], but at Japan’s deliberate provocative actions that threaten China’s sovereignty and security and send wrong signals to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.