In a display of Beijing’s growing military reach, the Chinese Navy sent two aircraft carriers into the Pacific Ocean, far from the country’s coast, for the first time to conduct exercises together, Japan’s defense minister, Gen Nakatani, said.
Mr. Nakatani told reporters on Monday that the Chinese aircraft carriers were spotted launching and retrieving jet fighters out in the Pacific to the east of the Japanese island of Iwo Jima, about 750 miles south of Tokyo. He said the Japanese Navy was monitoring the joint exercise by both vessels, which began on Saturday.
It was the first time that China’s two active-duty aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, and their escort ships had operated together in the Pacific beyond the islands of Japan, which form a natural barrier that Beijing calls the First Island Chain.
To escape the confines of that chain, China has been strengthening its navy by adding aircraft carriers, which can project force far greater distances. In addition to the Liaoning and the Shandong, China has built a third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, which is undergoing sea trials before entering active duty. A fourth aircraft carrier is under construction.
By cruising beyond Japan, the Chinese warships are demonstrating that they could challenge not only Japan but also its biggest ally, the United States, for control of the western Pacific during a crisis. If the United States deployed ships from Hawaii, the West Coast or even Guam, they would have to pass near those waters to reach Japan or Taiwan. China claims Taiwan, a self-governing island, as its own territory, but the United States has pledged to help defend it.
So far, the Chinese ships are smaller and carry fewer planes than America’s 11 large nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The Chinese buildup has also prompted Japan to build its first small aircraft carriers since World War II, which will be capable of carrying U.S.-made F-35B stealth fighters.
Hisako Ueno contributed reporting from Tokyo.
