Last week, warships of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) sailed through what Chinese strategists call "the first island chain" that links Japan to Taiwan, the Philippines, and Malaysia. The units from the East Sea Fleet included the imposing Sovremenny class destroyers, plus frigates and submarines. The flotilla moved through the Miyako Strait, setting off alarms in Japan, which is disputing Chinese claims to mineral wealth in the waters between the two Asian powers. The exercise took place just days after warships from the North Sea Fleet returned from what the PLAN called "confrontation exercises" in the South China Sea. Naval aviators have also been running long-range strike exercises from coastal bases displaying stealth, night flying, electronic warfare, and air refueling capabilities. On April 27, the Communist Party newspaper Global Times ran an editorial titled "Growing Chinese navy no cause for fear" the text of which proved just the...(Read Full Post)