Sound The Trumpet : PLA Drills Sandwich Japan from North and South

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“PLA Drills Sandwich Japan from North and South”
by Want China Times
December 29th, 2014

The People's Liberation Army appears to be strategizing on how it would sandwich Japan from the north and south in the event of a military conflict, says a Taiwanese military expert.

Ching Chang, a research fellow at Taiwan's Society for Strategic Studies, made the comments in response to a series of naval drills conducted by the PLA's three main fleets — the North Sea Fleet, the East Sea Fleet and the South Sea Fleet — earlier this month.

On Dec. 4, the North Sea Fleet's flagship Harbin Type 052 destroyer, the 054A Yantai and Yancheng multi-role frigates, and the Taihu Type 903 replenishment ship, traveled east through the narrow Osumikaikyo Strait southwest of Japan, before heading north to perform drills by passing through the Kuril Islands north of Japan and into the Sea of Okhotsk. Then on Christmas Day, the fleet passed through the La Perouse Strait north of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido before returning via the disputed East China Sea.

According to Chang, this was the second time a PLA vessel has passed through the La Perouse Strait. The first time took place last July during joint military drills with Russia, when China relied on its ally to help navigate through the waters. On this occasion, however, the North Fleet navigated through the strait by itself, suggesting that the PLA is not only capable of battle in cold regions but also growing increasingly familiar with Japanese waterways, Chang said.

Meanwhile, the East Sea Fleet has conducted drills near the Miyako Strait south of the main Japanese islands. For a week beginning Dec. 6, the PLA sent fighter jets into the West Pacific to participate in air-sea live-fire drills with six vessels of the East Sea Fleet. On Dec. 12, the fleet passed through the strait on its return to China.

Judging from the paths and timing of the PLA drills, it appears that China is strategizing how it would sandwich Japan from the north and south at the same time, said Chang, adding that this is the first time that such an exercise has been carried out.

PLA vessels have been increasing their activity around Japanese waters in recent years, partly to verify the response distance and capabilities of Japanese surveillance systems and partly to become more familiar with the region, Chang said. The most important reason, however, is to expand the PLA's influence in the Asia-Pacific as a show of strength to Japan and the US, he added, noting that the drills have a diplomatic meaning akin to Chinese maritime police boats regularly patrolling the waters surrounding the Diaoyutai islands (Diaoyu to China, Senkaku to Japan) in the East China Sea held by Japan but claimed by both China and Taiwan.

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