China steps up maritime activity with eye on post-pandemic order

Incursions in South and East China seas heat up rivalry with US

The Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning departs from port at Dalian, Liaoning Province, in 2019. The vessel recently passed between Okinawa's main island and Miyakojima with a fleet for the first time on its way to and back from the Pacific Ocean. © Reuters

TSUKASA HADANO and ALEX FANG, Nikkei staff writers

May 13, 2020 08:03 JST

BEIJING/NEW YORK -- In April, the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning passed between two Japanese islands, Okinawa's main island and Miyakojima, in the East China Sea with a full fleet.

This marked the carrier group's first time sailing to and from the Pacific Ocean via the passage and was seen as yet another sign of China's stepped-up military activity in neighboring seas.