3 PLA warships sailed past Japan amid row over PM Takaichi’s Taiwan comments

By Alcott Wei in Beijing

Beijing sent a Type 055 destroyer fleet to the south of Japan on Tuesday, according to Tokyo, just days after comments about Taiwan from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi drew a strong reaction from Beijing.

Japan’s defence ministry said on Wednesday that three Chinese ships, including a Type 055 destroyer, had passed through waters south of Kagoshima on Kyushu island on Tuesday before travelling through the Osumi Strait into the Pacific Ocean.

According to a statement from the ministry, the three ships passed through the southern Kyushu waters twice via the same route. The first ship, identified as the Type 055 destroyer Anshan, was confirmed to have passed alone; it was followed by a Type 054 guided-missile frigate and a Type 903 replenishment ship.

The Type 055 destroyer is China’s most advanced and largest destroyer, with a displacement exceeding 10,000 tonnes. The first Type 055 officially entered service in 2020, and the Chinese navy now has eight of the destroyers in active service.

Japan sent three ships to follow and photograph the Chinese ships from a distance, and concluded that the warships maintained normal speeds throughout and did not engage in any threatening behaviour, the statement said.

Source : SCMP