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19h ago

China Deploys Two Carriers to Pacific as Jets Intercept Japanese Patrol Planes

Tokyo lodged a protest over near-collision intercepts that it says endangered its crews during drills China defends as routine training.

Chinese aircraft carriers CNS Liaoning, top, and CNS Shandong, bottom, conduct flight operations with J-15 fighter jets in the western Pacific Ocean in early June 2025.
This handout photo taken on June 8, 2025 and received on June 12, 2025 from Japan's Ministry of Defence shows a J-15 fighter jet from the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong making an unusual approach to a Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force P-3C patrol aircraft that was conducting surveillance above the Pacific Ocean.
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Overview

  • For the first time, the PLA Navy’s carriers Liaoning and Shandong operated together east of the second island chain in the western Pacific.
  • Japanese defense officials reported J-15 fighters from Shandong shadowed P-3C patrol aircraft for up to 80 minutes, closing to within 45 meters.
  • Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi filed a diplomatic protest, warning that such approaches risk accidental collisions.
  • US Ambassador George Glass condemned the intercepts as "dangerous" and "reckless," accusing Beijing of aggressive behavior.
  • China’s navy and foreign ministry spokespeople maintain the exercises are routine annual training fully compliant with international law.