China’s Liaoning carrier heads to the Pacific as US, Japan prepare for missile drills

Beijing’s Liaoning aircraft carrier on Wednesday started its second training in the western Pacific this year, with the drill likely to coincide with an expanded US-Japan military exercise that may have implications for a Taiwan contingency.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy was organising the drill for the Liaoning formation in “relevant waters” of the western Pacific Ocean as part of its annual training plan, China’s defence ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

While it did not disclose the exact location of the Liaoning’s training, the statement said it was aimed at “testing and improving the troops’ combat-oriented training level” and complied with international law and practice, targeting no specific country or objective.

02:49

China reveals radio communications heard before mid-air stand-off with Japanese fighters

Even though the Chinese statement did not specify how long the Liaoning's drill would take, Chinese aircraft carrier trainings generally last weeks.

The Liaoning’s first training in the western Pacific this year lasted 35 days from May to June. In June last year, it conducted training with the Shandong aircraft carrier for about 20 days.

It suggests the timing of the Liaoning's training may overlap with that of Keen Sword 27, a biennial military exercise involving the US and Japan. Keen Sword will be conducted from October 19 to 29 across Japan and its surrounding waters, including Japan’s southwestern island chain near Taiwan.

It will involve about 45,000 Japanese personnel, 6,100 vehicles, 40 ships and 260 aircraft, up from about 33,000 personnel, 30 ships and 250 aircraft in 2024. About 12,000 US troops are reportedly expected to take part.

An activity planned for Yonaguni Island, just over 100km (62 miles) from Taiwan, is the exercise’s clearest link to a potential Taiwan contingency.

For the first time, the US will deploy two of its newest missile systems to Yonaguni, including its Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) anti-ship missile platform and its Marine Air Defence Integrated System (MADIS), according to Stars and Stripes.

Japan will temporarily deploy Type 88 surface-to-ship missiles and Type 03 medium-range air-defence systems alongside the US missile systems.

The training and exercises come amid growing tension between Beijing and Tokyo since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made remarks regarding Taiwan in November last year, drawing criticism from Beijing.

In December, the Liaoning’s training east of the Miyako Strait led to a stand-off between Chinese warplanes and Japanese fighter jets that had approached to monitor the activity.

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China and has not ruled out the use of force to reunify it with the mainland. Japan, like most countries, does not recognise the island as independent but opposes any attempt to take it by force and Washington has committed to supplying Taiwan with weapons.