Regional unease over Beijing’s maritime displays

Tension is rising in East Asia after Xi Jinping led a rare overseas visit to accompany Emmanuel Macron to Chengdu, while at the same time naval and coast-guard vessels from People’s Republic of China (PRC) staged their largest maritime deployment in the region to date. The deployment reportedly involved over a hundred vessels, moving through waters from the Yellow Sea down through disputed zones around the Senkaku Islands and into the South China Sea. Governments in Taiwan and Japan voiced deep concern.

Taipei denounced the deployment as far beyond routine patrols, saying it stretched across vast swathes of East Asian waters. Officials said their defense forces remain on high alert, while pledging cooperation with allied partners to preserve stability. In Tokyo, Japan’s defense ministry said it was “watching with great concern,” though it declined to elaborate on any counter-moves. Analysts warn that such shows of force risk destabilizing decades-old norms around freedom of navigation and could trigger a new maritime security competition across the region.