China, Russia warships encircle Japan in 17-day joint patrol

China and Russia have escalated their military partnership with a 17-day joint naval patrol that completed a full circuit around Japan, according to Japanese defense officials and analysts. The operation began on July 16 when Chinese and Russian vessels transited the Miyako Strait near Okinawa, then sailed past the Ogasawara Islands and through waters south and east of Japan before exiting via the La Perouse Strait between Hokkaido and Russia's Sakhalin Island on July 27. Japanese destroyers and patrol aircraft conducted surveillance throughout.

On the final leg, three Chinese naval vessels—a Type 055 missile destroyer, a Type 052D destroyer, and a Type 903 replenishment ship—were spotted moving southwest through the Korea Strait on August 3-4, completing the encirclement. The Type 055 is one of China's most advanced warships, capable of long-range air defense and anti-ship missions. Analysts note that the patrol's route deliberately challenged the first island chain concept, a U.S.-led strategy of containing Chinese naval access to the Pacific. The maneuver also demonstrates Moscow can still project naval power despite its focus on the Ukraine war, deepening a de facto military alliance that worries regional powers.