According to the trend information previously released by the Japanese Ministry of Defense : From June 12 to 13, a Chinese fleet led by the 
55 destroyer "Lhasa" set off from the Yellow Sea and passed after Tsushima Strait Sailing into the Sea of Japan. The fleet consisted of a Type 055 guided missile destroyer (Lhasa), a Type 052D guided missile destroyer (Chengdu), a Type 903 comprehensive supply ship (Dongpinghu), and a Type 794 electronic reconnaissance ship. .
After the Type 055 guided missile destroyer "Lhasa" moved north along the Sea of Japan, the four Chinese warships were divided into two groups from June 16 to 17: one group was a formation composed of Type 055 destroyers and 052D destroyers. After sailing out of the Sea of Japan, it passed the Soya Strait between Hokkaido and Sakhalin ; the other route was a formation composed of the Type 903 comprehensive supply ship and the No. 794 electronic reconnaissance ship. These two warships passed It is the Tsugaru Strait between Honshu Island and Hokkaido.
The navigational movements of the Chinese fleet from June 12 to June 21 (released by the Japanese Ministry of Defense)
Then on June 19, the Chinese warships that passed through the two straits and headed south completed their rendezvous. However, at this time, only Type 055 destroyers, Type 052D destroyers and Type 903 comprehensive supply ships formed the formation. The electronic reconnaissance ship No. 794 that was originally traveling with them was missing - the ship had other missions, so it changed its sailing route (will be discussed later) Speaking of the specific whereabouts of ship No. 794).
On the day after the three Chinese warships completed the rendezvous, the Chinese fleet sailed through the waters off Tokyo. At this time, the Chinese fleet was only about 200 nautical miles (about 370 kilometers) away from the main island of Japan. Because it was "too close" to Japan's main island, the Ministry of Defense quickly ordered the Self-Defense Force to dispatch warships and reconnaissance aircraft to track and monitor the Chinese fleet, and also took a large number of photos.
The navigational movements of the Chinese fleet from June 12 to 29
However, Japan’s reaction did not affect the normal navigation of our fleet: Then on June 21, three Chinese fleets headed by Type 055 destroyers passed through the Izu Islands in southern Japan, and then deflected westward towards Ryukyu Islands .
Judging from the information released by the Japanese Ministry of Defense, at about 11 o'clock in the evening on June 29, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force discovered the Chinese fleet consisting of 3 warships including the Type 055 destroyer in the Miyako Strait. They were sailing northwest. Japan subsequently dispatched a destroyer "Seto Kiri" and a P-3C patrol aircraft to track and monitor the Chinese fleet. The Chinese fleet also completed its voyage around the island against Japan before July 1, which lasted a total of 18 days.
The three Chinese warships that sailed around the island this time (photographed by the Sea of Japan)
Japan was extremely dissatisfied with the Chinese fleet’s sailing around the island: The Ministry of Defense stated in a statement that China’s move The main purpose is to show military presence around Japan, and it is a demonstration of force against Japan.
You must know that before the Chinese fleet launched this voyage around the island, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had just vowed to the outside world that Japan would play a greater and more active role in "maintaining regional security and stability," and Japan also Claiming that "the increasingly strengthened partnership between China and Russia is a threat to Japan's security." It is conceivable what kind of psychological blow the Chinese fleet's subsequent voyage around the island will have on the ambitious Japan!
The 102nd ship "Lhasa" on the voyage
What is even more interesting is that just about two days before the Chinese fleet sailed around the island, Russia coincidentally dispatched 5 warships to the vicinity of Hokkaido - but this time China The actions of the Russian fleet do not belong to joint patrols similar to those in the past.
As for the purpose of the Chinese fleet sailing around the Japanese archipelago , the American RAND think tank analyzed that on the one hand it is to test the ocean combat capability of the 102 ship "Lhasa"; facts have proved that this Type 055 destroyer has fully formed its combat effectiveness. And it can shoulder the core of high sea operations alone.
102 The ship "Lhasa" has formed a combat capability.
On the other hand, this voyage around the island is also a warning against the United States and Japan's intention to interfere in the Taiwan Strait. Prior to this, Japan had repeatedly hyped up the "China threat theory" on the grounds that it was "close to Taiwan (province)" and even wanted to use this to interfere in the Taiwan Strait issue. Since Japan wants to use distance as an excuse, then we simply give it an "encirclement" voyage to let Tokyo know two facts: Japan is also very close to China, and China has the ability to encircle Japan.
Shinzo Abe once clamored that "something is happening in Taiwan is equivalent to something happening in Japan."
In addition, the Chinese fleet's voyage was once close to the Kadena Air Base of the US military stationed in Japan on the Ryukyu Islands. The RAND think tank in the United States bluntly stated: As a large guided missile destroyer with excellent stealth and radar functions, a rich variety of ship-borne missiles, and sufficient reserves, it can not only attack the US Navy's aircraft carrier battle group, but also It can also pose a threat to the US military bases in Japan; in the Indo-Pacific region, the Type 055 guided missile destroyer is the "biggest threat" to the United States and its allies such as Japan.
Electronic reconnaissance ship No. 792 and No. 794 belong to the same model
Finally, let’s talk about the electronic reconnaissance ship No. 794 that “missed somewhere in the middle of the journey”. In fact, the electronic reconnaissance ship No. 794 did not stay away from the waters surrounding Japan after breaking away from the formation: on June 26, the Japanese Self-Defense Force discovered that the Chinese electronic reconnaissance ship suddenly appeared on Hachijo Island in the Izu Islands. 90 nautical miles north of . Moreover, in the past ten days or so, this electronic reconnaissance ship has been performing missions around Japan, but Japan has not been able to continuously grasp the movements of this electronic reconnaissance ship.
