China sends ships into Pacific amid Japan security moves

BEIJING (AP) — A squadron of Chinese Navy ships sailed through straits near Japan into the Western Pacific this week, while Beijing blasted Tokyo’s adoption of a new national security strategy putting itself on a more offensive footing, largely as a result of the perceived threat from China. The destroyers Lhasa and Kaifeng, along with a replenishment ship, sailed through the Osumi Strait in southern Japan. A Dongdiao-class surveillance ship with the hull number 796 sailed through the Miyako Strait south of Okinawa. They all arrived in the Western Pacific by Thursday. Japan’s Defense Ministry said it had closely shadowed the movements by ships and planes throughout.