China's large-scale military exercises held earlier this month in areas encircling Taiwan in response to a high-profile U.S. visit to the democratic island have demonstrated Beijing's ability to target Japanese and U.S. troops based in the region and raised their alert level.
The drills, which included China firing ballistic missiles into Japan's claimed exclusive economic zone, highlighted the need to avoid a major military conflict over Taiwan and boost defense for the Nansei Islands, a chain covering Okinawa and stretching southwest from Kyushu toward the self-ruled island, military experts said.
The Chinese military activities, prompted by the Taiwan visit by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, also included repeated crossings by Chinese navy vessels and warplanes of the median line between the mainland and Taiwan, a boundary that has been respected by both sides for decades.