Eastern Theater Command: Chinese Naval Fleet Completes Training Exercises in the Western Pacific and Returns via the Western Waterway

[Global Times Report, Reporter Li Meng] Colonel Xu Chenghua, spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command, stated that on April 22, the People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command organized the 133 task force to complete training exercises in the Western Pacific Ocean. After passing through the Western Waterway, the exercise effectively tested the troops' capabilities for operations in distant seas.

Public information shows that the Western Waterway is located between Japan's Yonaguni Island and Iriomote Island, approximately 60 nautical miles long and 32 nautical miles wide, serving as an important passage connecting the Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea. Not far from the northern entrance of the Western Waterway is the Diaoyu Islands.

Colonel Xu Chenghua previously stated that on April 19, the People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command organized the 133 vessel task force to transit through the Hengdang Waterway to conduct training exercises in the Western Pacific, testing the troops' capabilities for operations in distant seas. "This is a routine training organized according to the annual plan, in accordance with relevant international laws and practices, and is not aimed at any specific country or target."

The Hengdang Waterway is a key international shipping route in the middle section of the first island chain in the northwest Pacific, located in the southern waters of the Ryukyu Islands, extending east to the eastern coast of Amami Oshima and west to the western coast of Hengdang Island. It is a natural maritime passage connecting the East China Sea with the high seas of the Western Pacific.

Military expert Zhang Junsha stated in an interview with Global Times on the 22nd that the passage of the 133 vessel task force through the aforementioned waterway fully complies with international law and international practices, representing normal navigation. Compared to coastal waters, the hydrological and meteorological conditions in the Western Pacific are more complex, posing higher demands on the vessels' capabilities for distant sea navigation, command and control, and comprehensive support. It is essential for the Chinese Navy to enter the Western Pacific through the first island chain for distant sea training exercises, as only through experience in unfamiliar and complex maritime conditions can they truly forge strong combat capabilities. Zhang Junsha believes that the proactive actions of the Chinese military in an increasingly complex regional security environment demonstrate their commitment to maintaining regional peace and stability.

On April 17, the 131st anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer "Rei" transited from north to south through the Taiwan Strait. The People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command organized naval and air forces to monitor and guard against it throughout the process, implementing effective regulation and control. In response to the Japanese vessel's transit through the Taiwan Strait, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense issued stern statements on the 17th.

In this regard, Zhang Junsha stated that although the Chinese Navy's distant sea training exercises are not aimed at any specific country and are purely routine military training, it cannot be denied that the advanced vessels of the Chinese Navy, which integrate air defense, anti-ship, anti-submarine, and land strike capabilities, will objectively provide deterrence to external forces with ulterior motives against China when such a task force conducts exercises in the Western Pacific.