Article Posted on : - Jul 06, 2010

A file photo

TOKYO (BNS): The Japanese Defence Ministry has said it has spotted two Chinese naval warships crossing international waters between the southwestern Japanese islands of Okinawa and Miyako toward the Pacific Ocean.

A destroyer and a frigate of the Chinese Navy were noticed passing through the region on Monday, the official Kyodo news agency said.

It was the first time that Chinese military vessels were seen passing through the waters since April, when two submarines and eight other ships were observed, the ministry said.

Japan is keeping a close watch on Chinese Navy’s activities, “especially long-distance voyages that have been increasingly aggressive in recent years.”

The Chinese Navy was reportedly planning to conduct a large-scale exercise in the East China Sea from late June through early July. But it is not known whether the two ships observed Monday have anything to do with the exercise, the report said.