The appearance of a Chinese aircraft carrier near Okinawa, where a fifth of the territory is an American base, has alarmed
The Joint Chiefs of Staff of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces reported that the presence of the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong had been registered for the first time in the Pacific Ocean. According to TASS, there are now two aircraft carriers in the PLA Navy: Liaoning (formerly Varyag, bought by China from Ukraine) and Shandong.
According to the Japanese military, a group of Chinese ships, including the Shandong, were sighted on the evening of April 5, about 300 km south of Hateruma Island, Okinawa Prefecture. At this time, the group followed in an easterly direction. The Japanese destroyer Sawagiri was sent to observe it.
The information that Shandong left the South China Sea for the first time was confirmed by the Taiwan Armed Forces.
Earlier, Reuters, citing diplomatic circles, reported that China’s increased navy presence in the South China Sea has the United States worried.
