China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier has begun joint drills with the country’s newest frigate, the Type 054B, in the western Pacific, marking the frigate’s first known exercise in the region. The exercises were spotted near Okinotorishima, a remote Japanese island in the Pacific, according to Japan’s Defense Ministry announcement released late Tuesday.

Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force reported tracking the Chinese carrier and four escort ships about 547 miles southwest of Okinotorishima on Monday. On Tuesday, officials saw fighter jets and helicopters taking off and landing on the Liaoning.

Japan tracks carrier operations near remote island

Tokyo said the Chinese naval group was operating in waters beyond the “first island chain,” a strategic line from Japan through Taiwan to Borneo that has influenced regional military planning for years.

“This is the first time this year that the Chinese military has confirmed and announced that one of its aircraft carriers is operating in the Pacific,” Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi wrote on X late Tuesday. “We will continue to closely monitor related developments and ensure that we are fully prepared with our surveillance activities in the maritime and airspace surrounding Japan.”

Chinese carrier drills in the western Pacific have become more common. However, analysts are watching closely because the new Type 054B frigate, which officially entered service about a year ago, took part this time. The vessel is estimated to have a full-load displacement between 5,500 and 6,600 tons.

The exercises also follow a series of incidents that have increased tensions between China and Japan in recent months.

New frigate enters far-seas mission phase

China’s state-run Global Times called it the Type 054B’s first long-distance training mission since entering active service. The report said the frigate’s operations beyond the first island chain demonstrate that China is gaining the ability to conduct long-range naval missions far from home.

The Type 054B’s movement beyond the “first island chain,” which runs from Japan to Borneo, “demontrates that it has fully developed far-sea operational capabilities and is steadily strengthening its offensive and defensive combat effectiveness in distant waters,” said military affairs expert Zhang Junshe, as reported by the Global Times.

Over the past decade, China has modernized its navy by quickly adding new destroyers, frigates, amphibious assault ships, and aircraft carriers. Beijing says these deployments are routine military training and for defense.

Beijing outlines combat-focused exercises

Last week, China’s Defense Ministry said the Liaoning carrier strike group would carry out several drills to improve combat readiness. According to the ministry, the exercises include tactical flight training, live-fire drills, support-and-cover missions, and combined search-and-rescue operations.

Officials said the purpose of the mission is “to test and enhance the realistic combat training capabilities of the forces.” This latest activity comes after Japan claimed that fighter jets from the Liaoning locked radar onto Japanese military aircraft flying over international waters southeast of Okinawa Prefecture in December.

Radar lock-ons are considered highly sensitive military actions because they can indicate preparations for missile targeting.

Western Pacific activity raises regional concerns

Japan has grown more concerned about China’s military operations in the western Pacific. Last month, Tokyo opened a new office to help protect Japan’s Pacific defenses amid expanding Chinese naval activity.

Last summer, China sent both the Liaoning and another aircraft carrier deeper into the western Pacific while Chinese military aircraft repeatedly approached Japanese planes, prompting Tokyo to warn about collision risks.

In its latest annual defense white paper, Japan said the Chinese military is “stepping up their activities throughout areas surrounding Japan, including the East China Sea around the Senkaku Islands, the Sea of Japan and the western Pacific Ocean, beyond the so-called first-island chain and extending to the second-island chain.”

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