China Flexes Muscles In Indo-Pacific Region

China Flexes Muscles In Indo-Pacific Region

Stefan J. Bos

China is flexing its military muscles in the Indo-Pacific region, with pilots of civilian aircraft anxiously hearing about Chinese live-fire naval exercises while on the ground in the Philippines, suspected high-profile Chinese spies were detained.

Pilots first heard about a Chinese live-fire naval exercise near Australia last week when already in the air, Worthy News learned. They received messages that forced some to change paths through a busy air corridor, according to satellite text messages to and from pilots.

It underscored how pilots increasingly have to react at short notice to geopolitical disruptions and military hazards, such as missile and drone barrages between Israel and Iran last year.

China’s military, in its first drills in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, is raising tensions by being more assertive across the Indo-Pacific region, including near Taiwan.

Pilots first heard about the exercises when a Virgin Australia pilot picked up a Chinese navy broadcast on the

Pilots use a 121.5 MHz emergency radio channel to communicate between planes at 9.58 a.m. Sydney time last Friday, according to Australian officials.

According to Airservices Australia, the pilot reported the broadcast to an air traffic controller, who passed the message to Australia’s military.

Later, other aircraft were alerted amid broader concerns about China’s actions.

China has said it gave adequate warning to Australian and New Zealand authorities about the exercise, but authorities and pilots have their doubts.

The details emerged while in the Philippines, there was concern that four Chinese nationals accused by the Philippines of espionage led Chinese Communist Party-affiliated groups that made donations of cash to a Philippine city and vehicles to two police forces.

Wang Yongyi, Wu Junren, Cai Shaohuang, and Chen Haitao were among five Chinese men detained by Philippine investigators in late January.

They allegedly gathered images and maps of Philippine naval forces near the South China Sea.

The Philippines is a close ally of the United States, and its strategic location puts Manila close to key trade routes and geopolitical flashpoints in the Indo-Pacific, notably Taiwan and the South China Sea.