The move prompted a response from Japanese forces by scrambling fighter jets and helicopters, as well as a destroyer and other parts of its military forces.
In a statement, the Japanese Defense Ministry confirmed that the Chinese fleet, led by the aircraft carrier Liaoning was spotted 670 kilometers (416 miles) southeast of Okinotorishima, about 618 km (384 miles) northwest of Guam, before returning to international waters between Taiwan and Japan.
Chinese state propaganda outlet Global Times characterized the sailing as a clear warning to the Biden administration over the future of Taiwan.
“[The operation] showed that the Chinese carrier is ready to defend the country against potential US attacks launched from there, including military interference attempts over the Taiwan question,” the Times wrote in an editorial. “China will never attack US military bases in Guam as long as the US military does not attack China or interfere in the Taiwan question, but having such capabilities is a deterrent against potential US provocations.”
Meanwhile, Carl Schuster, a retired U.S. Navy captain and former director of operations at the U.S. Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center, told Radio Free Asia that China was sending a clear message about Guam's role as a U.S. military base.
“This deployment should be seen as a reflection of the PLA thinking about Guam's importance to U.S. operations,” he said. “It is also a harbinger of future PLA Navy plans and operations, particularly when more capable platforms are in service. The geopolitical and strategic signal being sent is: 'We can and may reach you. If not today, then soon.'"
The operation rounds off another year of heightened tensions between the U.S. and China, particularly following China's national security crackdown in Hong Kong. Analysts widely believe the takeover of Hong Kong's sovereignty could be a test run for a future invasion of Taiwan.
