TOKYO, Japan — On Tuesday, Japanese officials reported that they observed two Chinese aircraft carriers active in the Pacific Ocean for the first time, indicating an expansion of China’s military operations into more distant regions.
On Monday, China’s Shandong aircraft carrier along with four additional ships, which included a missile destroyer, navigated through Japan’s economic exclusion zone around the distant Pacific island of Okinotori, according to statements from the country’s defense ministry.
The ministry stated that their fighter jets and helicopters carried out takeoffs and landings at the location.
A group of five warships was likewise observed cruising approximately 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Miyako Island close to Taiwan on Saturday, it mentioned.
Over the weekend, China’s other active aircraft carrier, Liaoning, along with its accompanying fleet, ventured into Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Pacific Ocean. They later exited to carry out exercises that included fighter jets, as mentioned earlier by Tokyo.
The first instance of two Chinese aircraft carriers being observed simultaneously operating in the Pacific was reported by a defense ministry spokesperson to AFP on Tuesday.
He stated that their belief is that the primary aim of the Chinese military is to enhance its capacity for operational execution and conducting missions in far-off regions.
China's deployment of naval and aerial resources to assert its territorial claims has alarmed both the United States and its partners across the Asia-Pacific area.
According to Japanese and U.S. defense authorities, China aims to expel the American military from what is known as the "first island chain," extending from Japan southward through the Philippines.
Ultimately, their plan is to control regions lying west of the "second island chain" in the Pacific Ocean, stretching from Japan’s distant Ogasawara Islands to the U.S.-controlled territory of Guam, according to them.
The recent eastern voyage of the Liaoning was noted as the first instance where Japan’s Defence Ministry acknowledged that a Chinese aircraft carrier had sailed beyond the second island chain.
In September, the warship traveled through the waters located between two Japanese islands close to Taiwan and ventured into Japan’s contiguous zone, which extends up to 24 nautical miles offshore from its coastline.
At that time, Tokyo deemed that action as "unacceptable" and conveyed "grave concerns" to Beijing.
According to international law, a country has the authority to oversee the use of natural resources and engage in various economic pursuits within its EEZ, an area extending up to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from its shores.