China Escalates Pressure on Japan and the Philippines With Coordinated Military Moves

File image of the kind of PLA Air Force heavy bomber that took part in patrols over contested areas of the South China Sea on November 14, 2025. Image via China Military.

China put on a major show of military force across its maritime periphery over the course of three days beginning on Friday in a bid to send a warning to its rivals in both Japan and the Philippines.

Beijing deployed coast guard vessels on Sunday to sail provocatively close to the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Tai islands in the East China Sea as part of a furious response to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments last week that Tokyo would intervene militarily in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

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by Eric Olander

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