China’s Navy Flexes Blue Water Muscles: A Glimpse into PLAN’s Expansive Maritime Operations and a Taiwan War Scenario - The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is conducting multiple operations this week, a sign of its continuing transition from a coastal defense force to a true blue water force. On Monday, a report published by Japan’s Defense Ministry showed three Chinese PLAN vessels transiting from the East China Sea to the Sea of China over the weekend via the Tsushima Strait. The warships are likely preparing for naval exercises with the Russian Navy.

The Sea of Japan—known in the two Koreas as the East Sea—is a crowded waterway home to five nations’ commercial and strategic sea lines. It is also a go-to test site for North Korea’s ballistic missiles, while the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet is headquartered in the closed town of Fokino on the Peter the Great Gulf.

The Chinese warships were reported to be the Type 054A frigate Daqing, the Type 903A replenishment ship Kekexilihu, and the Type 052D guided-missile destroyer (NATO reporting name Luyang III) Huainan. According to Newsweek, all three vessels are assigned to the PLAN’s North Sea Fleet under the Northern Theater Command.

Although neither Beijing nor Moscow has announced any planned exercises, the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet was already active in the region and conducted combat drills against a simulated group of sea drones, according to Russian state media reports. China and Russia last held joint naval exercises in the Sea of Japan in July 2023.

Landing Operation Exercises

The deployment of the vessels from the PLAN’s North Sea Fleet followed live-fire exercises in the South China Sea, which included a group of Type 072III and Type 072A tank landing ships. These ships undertook training courses, including live-fire shooting against sea mine targets and side-by-side mooring.

The vessels engaged in multi-course realistic combat exercises in an undisclosed area. At the same time, the Type 072 landing ships are designed to operate in waters nearer to the coast, ground on the shore, and then offload vehicles, troops, and cargo. The Chinese state-owned Global Times highlighted that the Type 072’s characteristics make them particularly useful in safeguarding China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights over islands and reefs in the South China Sea.

Combined Force Drills

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command further conducted a series of joint combat exercises with the China Coast Guard (CCG) across multiple maritime regions amid rising tensions in the Taiwan Straits. The combined forces included units from the PLAN and People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).

Though the CCG is a maritime security force that falls under the jurisdiction of law enforcement rather than the Chinese military, it has increasingly operated alongside the PLAN—and is seen by Western observers as essentially an auxiliary naval force. Its role has evolved significantly, and Beijing’s enactment of the new CCG law authorizes it to enforce China’s maritime claims beyond the boundaries recognized by the United Nations Convention and the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Target Taiwan

The multiple drills should serve as a reminder that China’s Communist Party (CCP) has laid claim to the self-ruling island nation of Taiwan as Chinese territory. Taiwan is considered a breakaway province that will be returned to mainland control and by force if necessary.

In January, William Lai Ching-te was elected president of Taiwan. Lai has previously advocated for formal Taiwanese independence but has since moderated his position, stating that “Taiwan is already a sovereign, independent country called the Republic of China.”

He campaigned to strengthen Taipei’s relations with Washington and other liberal democracies.

Even with his tempered views, Lai could be seen as a threat to Beijing’s attempts to force unification with Taiwan, and its ongoing naval drills may be an omen of how far the CCP is willing to go.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites, with over 3,200 published pieces and over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].