China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier strike group sailed beyond the first island chain last week to reach the southernmost waters of the Philippines, suggesting an intent to position itself closer to ongoing US-Japan joint exercises.
Philippine news channel BNC reported that the carrier group reached about 25 nautical miles (46km) east-southeast of Balut Island, the southernmost point of the Philippines, before sailing northeast on Friday.
That positioned the warships past the first island chain, a US-led strategic arc of maritime chokepoints running from Japan through Taiwan to the Philippines.
The four-strong Liaoning strike group includes the Type 055 large guided-missile destroyers Wuxi and Anshan, and the Type 052D guided-missile destroyer Huainan.