Baghdad-INA
A squadron of Chinese navy ships sailed through a strait near Japan into the western Pacific Ocean, while Beijing criticized Tokyo's adoption of a new national security strategy that puts itself in a more offensive position.
The destroyers "Lhasa" and "Kaifeng" and a replenishment ship sailed through the Osumi Strait in southern Japan, while a Dongadio-class patrol vessel with hull number 796 sailed through the Miyako Strait south of Okinawa, all of which reached the western Pacific Ocean by Thursday.
Japan's Defense Ministry said Japanese ships and aircraft were being watched closely.
The Chinese newspaper "Global Times" today, Friday, quoted unidentified experts as saying that the mission: "It sent a signal amid the recent Japanese military moves that would show the capabilities of the People's Liberation Army in protecting China's national sovereignty, territorial integrity and development interests."
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