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Chinese warships made 'warning' crossings off the southwest coast of Japan
“This rare crossing is a direct deterrent message to Japan's military bases stretching along the coast,” said a former Chinese People's Liberation Army trainer.
Warships belonging to the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) crossed through sensitive international waterways off the southwestern coast of Japan twice this week. This rare move is considered a clear warning to Tokyo due to its recent steps regarding Taiwan.
These crossings followed exercises in the western Pacific; the fleet left the area via the Yokoate Canal on Sunday and returned via the Yonaguni-Iriomote Waterway on Wednesday.
People's Liberation Army Eastern Front Command made a statement on Wednesday, "133. We organized the fleet to complete training exercises in the western Pacific; it returned via the Yonaguni-Iriomote Waterway, effectively testing the long-range operational capabilities of the troops.
The waterline in question is located between Iriomote Island and Yonaguni, the westernmost island of Japan and only 110 kilometers away from Taiwan.
This is the first publicly recorded example of PLA warships operating in this waterway.
Speaking to the South China Morning Post, military analyst and former PLA instructor Song Zhongping sees these transitions of the PLA as “a warning to Japan”.
“The Yonaguni-Iriomote waterway is a key route that Japan could potentially affect the situation in Taiwan. The PLA's passage through this waterway may be a warning to Japan due to its recent statements and actions on the Taiwan issue," he said.
The military expert said, "The islands of Yonaguni and Iriomote both have Japanese military bases, and this waterway is narrower than the Strait of Miyako, which the PLA often uses. I think this rare passage through this channel is a direct message of deterrence to military bases stretching along the coast and will create an unexpected shock effect on Tokyo," he said.
Most countries, including the US and Japan, do not recognize Taiwan as an independent state; however, both oppose the island's unification with China, and Washington continues to supply weapons to Taiwan.
These sea cruises of the PLA took place three days after the Japanese destroyer Ikazuchi passed through the Taiwan Strait on a historic day for Beijing.
China described this transition on April 17 as a "deliberate provocation" and conveyed a fierce protest to Japan.
April 17 coincides with the anniversary of the Treaty of Shimonoseki of 1895, which ended Japan's war of aggression against China and Korea.
The treaty in question provided for Beijing to leave Taiwan, the Penghu Islands, and other naval elements to Japan; Japan also gained actual control over the Korean Peninsula. Beijing, in its own words, sees this event as one of the humiliating parts of the history of oppression and humiliation.
Tokyo argues that Ikazuchi's passage through the Taiwan Strait last week was in accordance with international law; the destroyer followed this route on the way to the "Balikatan" military exercises led by the US and the Philippines.
This year was the first year in which Japan participated in the combat-oriented phase of the exercises in question, together with its US ally.
Experts said this clearly sets Tokyo's intention on Taiwan and the South China Sea issues, especially its priorities to deter Beijing in the event of a crisis in Taiwan.
The Yokoate Canal, which the PLA fleet uses to cross to the western Pacific, is located between Yokodang Island and Amami Oshima, where Japan's important military bases are located. This channel is closer to the Japanese mainland compared to the Miyako Strait, which the PLA uses more often to expand to the Pacific.
Song said that the PLA's choice of this narrow channel near Japanese military bases reveals the logic of the operation towards Japan: to operate close to perceived threats or provocations.
Although Japan frequently detects Chinese warships near the Ryukyu Islands, this is the first publicly recorded example of PLA ships passing through the Yokoate Canal.
Chinese military expert Song Xiaojun also told government broadcaster CCTV on Sunday that the PLA regularly uses this route on missions to the Pacific, beyond the "first island chain."
The Ryukyu Islands form a critical link of the first island chain in U.S. defense policy; it is a natural arc that stretches off the coast of East Asia, controlled by US partners and used to reflect military influence. China is trying to resist it.
PLA's Eastern Front Command focuses on the Taiwan Strait, East China Sea and the western Pacific. According to CCTV, the 133rd naval mission ship created for this operation was the Type 052DL improved guided missile destroyer Baotou with the board number 133.
Tensions between Beijing and Tokyo have been high since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said last November that a clash in the Taiwan Strait could bring Japanese military mobilization.
Japan lifted restrictions on the export of deadly weapons on Tuesday, a major deviation from decades of “Three Principles” pacifist policy.
Beijing expressed its "serious concern" about this step; the Chinese Foreign Ministry warned that Japan "needs higher alertness to resolutely resist its reckless moves towards new-style militarism."