Indo-Pacific — 2026-06-02

Chinese Liaoning Carrier Strike Group Conducts 170 Sorties During Philippine Sea Drills While Shadowed by Japan

BLUFManila's dependence on Tokyo for carrier-force warning in its own eastern approaches will likely be tested again before September, as PLAN accelerates carrier operations beyond the first island chain.

Japan's Joint Staff Office tracked the PLAN Liaoning carrier strike group flying 170 sorties east of Luzon between May 26 and May 28, with 80 on May 26, 50 on May 27, and 40 on May 28 12. The formation comprised carrier Liaoning (CV-16), Type 055 destroyer Wuxi, Type 052D destroyer Kaifeng, Type 054B frigate Luohe, and fast combat support ship Hulunhu, with JMSDF destroyer JS Asahi shadowing throughout 13. SOFX reported Luohe, commissioned in January 2025, made its first confirmed deployment within a carrier formation beyond the first island chain during this exercise 3. As of May 29, Liaoning and two escorts were sailing southeast in the Philippine Sea; AFP spokesperson Roy Vincent Trinidad told reporters on June 2 that Philippine forces had no prior knowledge of the deployment and first learned of it through Japan's public bulletin 2.

Analysis
AFP's admission that Philippine forces first learned of the Liaoning deployment through Japan's public bulletin confirms structural dependence on Tokyo for carrier-force warning in Manila's own approaches, though that disclosure may reflect diplomatic posture rather than an actual intelligence gap. The Type 054B Luohe's deployment beyond the first island chain only 16 months after commissioning signals PLAN compressing new-build readiness timelines, narrowing the window for partners to assess platforms before operational maturity. All reporting flows through Japan's Joint Staff Office bulletin with no independent corroboration. PLAN will likely conduct at least one additional carrier strike group exercise east of the first island chain before September 1, a judgment resting on moderate confidence with Japan as the sole confirmed continuous monitoring platform in this corridor. Philippine planners who defer GSOMIA ratification and organic ISR development assume that arrangement holds.

5 sources

Chinese Carrier Strike Group Conducts 170 Sorties During Drills in Philippine Sea - USNI News
AFP checking Chinese carrier drills east of Luzon; Japan flags 170 air sorties - Manila Bulletin
China Fields Type 054B Frigate in Liaoning Carrier Group 16 Months After Commissioning - SOFX
Chinese aircraft carrier conducts drills east of Philippines - The Japan Times
Tracking of Chinese Navy Vessels (Liaoning Carrier Strike Group) - Japan Joint Staff Office