BEIJING – A Chinese naval squadron returned home Wednesday after completing military training exercises in the Western Pacific, traveling through contested waters between two Japanese islands.
The naval formation, designated as Vessel Formation 133 and including a newly commissioned destroyer, navigated through the waterway separating Japan’s Yonaguni and Iriomote islands on its journey back to China. The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command confirmed the fleet had finished conducting far-seas operational training.
The Eastern Theater Command, which oversees military operations in East China, the East China Sea, and Taiwan Strait regions, reported that the naval group had successfully completed its Pacific Ocean training mission.
This marks the second time in recent days that Chinese warships have used the same narrow passage. The PLA fleet initially traveled through the Yonaguni-Iriomote Waterway on Sunday to access the Pacific for their training operations.
The naval movements follow heightened regional tensions after a Japanese destroyer transited through the Taiwan Strait on Friday. Chinese officials had characterized Japan’s naval passage as a “deliberate provocation.”
