Beijing appears to be keeping an eye on a certain naval exercise involving the U.S., Japan, France, and Canada.
The U.S. began the drill in the Philippine Sea on Friday with two carrier strike groups jointly operating for the first time since June 2020.
Meanwhile, Chinese media reported that an intel-gathering aircraft flew over Pacific waters east of Taiwan.
State-backed newspaper, the Global Times, published Sunday said the Y9 cargo plane had been fitted with reconnaissance equipment and likely monitored the drill.
Japan’s defense ministry also chimed in saying its troops spotted a Y9 aircraft in the Pacific on Thursday. A spokesperson said on Monday the ministry was analyzing a piece of equipment attached to the plane that had not been seen before.
Chinese Media reports said two U.S. aircraft carriers, the USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan, had been operating in the region since Thursday. Beijing claims the waters surrounding the Ryukyu Islands in the Philippine Sea as its own territory.
US-China military encounters in the Indo-Pacific have risen in recent years with Beijing growing more assertive in the area.