China sent its largest combat air patrol -- over 40 aircraft -- perilously close to Japanese air space over Okinawa in a massive show of force that was its response to a recent statement Japan will "increase its engagement in the South China Sea."
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) scrambled Mitsubishi F-15J Eagle air superiority fighters to monitor the Chinese patrol. JASDF said eight Chinese planes, including two Sukhoi Su-30MKK long-range fighters, ventured close to Japanese air space over Okinawa.
It also said this was the first time the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) had sent fighters to escort an air patrol in the air near Japan.
China's state-run media reported some 40 warplanes overflew the Miyako Strait in the West Pacific to test the PLAAF's combat ability and carry out a regular patrol in the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea. Japan and the United States have declared that Chinese ADIZ illegal.
The "open sea exercise" included H-6K bombers, Su-30 fighters, air tankers and other types of warplanes. Chinese media said this air fleet did reconnaissance, attack on warships and in-flight air refueling tasks. The PLAAF has conducted regular patrols over the area covered by China's illegal ADIZ for the past three years.
China claims the regular Western Pacific drills and ADIZ patrols are necessary to safeguard national sovereignty, security and maintain peaceful development. It also said the PLAAF will continue patrolling the East China Sea ADIZ to "uphold the legitimate rights and interests of China."
The Miyako Strait is of global geopolitical significance because it's one of the few international waterways for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to access the Pacific Ocean from the East China Sea. Japan only has to seal off the strait and the Bashi Channel separating Taiwan from the Philippines to prevent PLAN warships from venturing out to the Pacific Ocean.
In a speech last week, Japanese defense minister Tomomi Inada called China's actions in the South china Sea a "deliberate attempt to unilaterally change the status quo, achieve a fait accompli, and undermine the prevailing norms."
Inada said Japan will increase its engagement in the South China Sea through joint training cruises with the U.S. Navy, exercises with regional navies and capacity-building assistance to allied nations.