The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) expansionist ambitions may have prompted 26 countries to participate in the world’s largest U.S.-led naval exercises in the Indo-Pacific. European nations are deploying warships and aircraft to the region to collaborate with the United States and its allies in countering the CCP threat.
On April 29, Italy’s Thaon di Revel-class offshore patrol vessel (also known as Pattugliatore Polivalente d'Altura) and light cruiser Raimondo Montecuccoli left their naval base in La Spezia and headed to the Indo-Pacific to commence a six-month maritime operation.
On May 7, Germany dispatched two warships to the region to enhance its military presence.
The German and Italian naval ships will also participate in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) led by the U.S. Navy from June 29 to Aug. 4 in Hawaii and surrounding areas. Germany and France are also expected to deploy a large number of aircraft, including fighters and transport planes, to participate in joint exercises with Indo-Pacific partners.
Challenging Beijing’s Claims
The U.S. Seventh Fleet announced on May 10 that as part of its freedom of navigation operations, the USS Halsey (DDG-97) sailed through the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. This move challenged Beijing’s restrictions on freedom of navigation through China-occupied islands, which violates the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).The Seventh Fleet’s statement emphasized that any authorization or advance notification requirements imposed unilaterally on innocent passage are illegal. Conducting innocent passage without prior notification to any claimant state or seeking permission from any claimant state challenges the legitimacy of these illegal restrictions imposed by communist China and other countries, showing that innocent passage is not subject to such restrictions.
Regarding the passage of U.S. warships, Tian Junli, spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command, reportedly said on May 10 that the PLA organized naval and air forces to track, monitor, and warn the USS Halsey.
Japan on Alert
Recently, the presence and training activities of Chinese naval vessels and carrier strike groups around Japan have intensified, causing significant concern. In a statement on May 10, the Joint Staff Office said that at about noon on May 9, two Chinese naval escort vessels sailed around the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, while another naval intelligence ship passed through the Miyako Strait into the East China Sea.The statement revealed that Chinese naval vessels had passed through the Osumi Strait to the east. Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Yamagiri and a P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft based at Naha Air Base in Okinawa tracked the Chinese naval escort vessels.
China’s Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carrier strike groups also frequently conduct carrier-based flight training in international waters around the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. However, these carrier-based exercises usually occur at least 62 miles from Japan. With the Chinese regime’s sovereignty claims over the Senkaku Islands, Japan has strengthened its military presence in the region, including deploying land-based anti-ship missiles, and plans to deploy various land-based cruise missiles in preparation for potential invasions.
On May 8, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force announced that the JS Kunisaki, the first Osumi-class transport ship deployed in the Indo-Pacific region, left the Kure Naval Base on May 3 to begin a four-month maritime operation, including participation in the Exercise Malabar and the RIMPAC exercise.
In a statement on May 10, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, the Royal Australian Navy, and the U.S. Pacific Fleet announced a memorandum of understanding on information warfare.
On April 11, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addressed a joint session of Congress and called communist China the “greatest strategic challenge” in the region. He further pledged Japan’s support for the United States in maintaining peace and security in Asia and the Indo-Pacific.
