Chinese fleet caught in contested waters near Japan and Taiwan

Alarms were raised when China breached a strategic chain meant to keep their forces in check (Image: Getty)

Global tensions intensified after a fleet of Chinese naval vessels were spotted operating in contested waters off the coast of Japan.

Five ships were seen travelling south through the Miyako Strait, a waterway in Japan's southwestern islands, from the East China Sea towards the Philippine Sea - led by an amphibious assault warship.

The fleet comprised of the Type 075 Anhui, the Type 052D destroyer Suzhou, as well as a pair of Type 054A frigates, Zhoushan and Xuzhou, and the Type 071 amphibious transport dock Longhushan.

Satellite imagery taken later also showed three vessels operating just 229 miles off the coast of Taiwan, although it remains unclear whether they were the same ones that were detected in and around their Asian neighbours earlier.

If confirmed, this would mark the second time the Anhui has operated near the two US friendly nations since February.

China's regular presence in the region is expected to have implications for US defence strategy to prevent the seizure of self-ruled Taiwan.

Japan, along with Taiwan and the Phillipines, forms part of a first island chain. A strategy that aims to restrict China's military to its coastal waters with the help of America's allied territories in the area.

The Chinese breaching these conditions is a worry with the country home to more than 370 ships and submarines, the world's largest navy by hull count.

A Japanese 2024 Defence White Paper explained: "China has been rapidly building up military capabilities while intensifying its activities in the East China Sea as well as in the Pacific."

While The Pentagon's China military power report added: "The People's Liberation Army Navy's ability to perform missions beyond the first island chain is modest but growing as it gains more experience operating in distant waters and acquires larger and more advanced platforms."

Beijing continues to extend its military influence and operations both within and beyond the Western Pacific's island chain, posing a challenge to Washington's longstanding naval supremacy.

Chinese warships are frequently observed operating east of the first island chain and nearing the second.