The People’s Liberation Army Navy has sailed a group of warships through a key waterway between islands administered by Okinawa Prefecture, in a move that indicates rising tensions between Beijing and Tokyo, Reuters reported.
China said its naval formation, including a destroyer, passed through the Yonaguni-Iriomote Waterway on Wednesday as it returned from training operations in the Western Pacific. The fleet, identified as Vessel Formation 133, was deployed by the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command, which oversees operations in the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
The passage comes days after a Japanese destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait, a move China condemned as a “deliberate provocation”.
While international vessels are permitted to transit the Yonaguni-Iriomote Waterway, Japan maintains the right to respond if ships enter its territorial waters, defined as within 12 nautical miles of its coastline.
Earlier, on Sunday, the Chinese naval group had transited another passage between the Japanese islands of Amami Oshima and Yokoate to reach the Pacific Ocean.
China considers democratically governed Taiwan part of its territory and has reacted strongly to foreign naval movements through the Taiwan Strait, which it does not recognise as international waters.
Following Japan’s recent transit, China’s foreign ministry described the move as “a display of force” and “a deliberate provocation” that threatens its sovereignty and security. Its defence ministry added the operation sent a “wrong” signal to pro-independence forces in Taiwan.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated further since remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Japan.
The strategically located island of Yonaguni, just 110 km from Taiwan’s eastern coast, has become increasingly significant in regional security calculations.
In September 2024, China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning passed through the same waterway for the first time, prompting strong protests from Tokyo.
Japan has also moved to bolster its defences in the area, with plans announced last year to deploy a medium-range surface-to-air missile unit on Yonaguni — a proposal China has described as “extremely dangerous”.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
