China deployed over 100 naval and coast guard vessels across East Asian waters in December 2025, marking the largest maritime show of force in the region’s history. Satellite images captured by commercial imaging companies offer one of the clearest views yet of the unprecedented deployment.
The Flotilla
The Chinese naval vessels in the flotilla include two destroyers, a landing helicopter dock ship and a replenishment ship. The vessels have been identified as the Hainan, the largest amphibious warship in the Chinese navy, a Jiangkai II guided-missile frigate, the Yan’an Type 055 destroyer, and the Luomahu replenishment ship.
Satellite images show the warships being resupplied in the Philippine Sea, with a helicopter captured in flight during the operation. The images provide rare visual confirmation of China’s expanding naval presence in contested waters.
Unprecedented Scale
Activity has been identified from the Yellow Sea, near the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, into the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea, Western Pacific and Philippine Sea. At one point, more than 100 Chinese vessels were deployed across these waters simultaneously.
The current operations exceed China’s mass naval deployment in December last year which prompted Taiwan to raise its alert level, sources told Reuters. An official briefed on the matter said the deployment “goes far beyond China’s national defense needs and creates risks for all sides.”
Regional Responses
Karen Kuo, Taiwan’s presidential spokesman, said on Friday that the Chinese naval build-up “indeed poses a threat and impact to the Indo-Pacific and the whole region.” Adding that security forces had been ordered to maintain full situational awareness, Kuo said Taiwan especially calls on China to live up to its responsibilities as a major power and to exercise restraint in its actions.
In Tokyo, Shinjiro Koizumi, the defence minister, said on Friday that Japan was watching the Chinese military movements “with great attention.” Without commenting on the specific deployment, he said Japan was deeply concerned with how China has been expanding and stepping up its military activities in the areas surrounding Japan.
Australia deployed a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft to track the flotilla, reviving security concerns raised after an unprecedented circumnavigation of the Australian continent by a Chinese fleet nine months ago.
Timing and Context
China began dispatching a higher-than-usual number of ships to the region after November 14, when it summoned Japan’s ambassador to protest Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan. Takaichi had said that if China invaded Taiwan, it could trigger a military response from Tokyo.
The deployment also follows an announcement by Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te that an extra $40 billion would be spent on defense to counter China.
Military Operations
Alongside increased air activity, several of the ships have carried out mock attacks on foreign ships. They have also practiced access-denial operations aimed at preventing outside forces from sending reinforcements in the event of a conflict, sources said.
Lin Jian, Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesman, sought to downplay the build-up, saying the navy was adhering to international law. “There is no need for any party to overreact, over-interpret, or engage in baseless speculation,” he said.
Strategic Implications
The unprecedented deployment marks a decisive shift in Beijing’s maritime strategy, escalating security anxieties from Taiwan and Japan to the United States and ASEAN nations. The scale and coordination of the deployment demonstrate China’s growing ability to project naval power across multiple theaters simultaneously.
