The Chinese People Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships were spotted circling around Japan for days from June 12, involving two Chinese guided-missile destroyers and one supply ship, Japan’s Defense Ministry said on June 30.
The ministry said in a statement (pdf) that Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) detected three Chinese navy ships sailing 130 kilometers (80 miles) northeast of Miyako Island and entering the disputed East China Sea on June 29.
The PLAN’s two guided-missile destroyers, identified as the Renhai-class and Luyan III guided-missile destroyers, were first spotted sailing through Japan’s Tsushima Strait from June 12 to June 13.
The JMSDF detected one PLAN’s border-class supply ship sailed east in the Tsugaru Strait on June 16, while the two destroyers sailed east in the Soya Strait from June 16 to June 17….