Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles stated on October 29, 2026, in Cebu that China's military buildup is creating a condition of pressure in Southeast Asia.

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Members of the Squad defense group committed to greater defense policy coordination and working closely together for collective security

The Liaoning aircraft carrier battle group was positioned east of the Philippines, with other Chinese formations off Taiwan's east coast and three off southern Japan.

A senior Taiwan security official noted that if the Liaoning carrier group moves north towards Japan after Philippine Sea drills, it indicates intent to pressure Japan's defence posture.

Japan's Defence Ministry tracked three Chinese warships and a Coast Guard vessel passing through the Osumi Strait off Kyushu into the Pacific Ocean on October 27, 2026.

Chinese Defence Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang stated on October 29, 2026 that the Liaoning's western Pacific training was an annual routine exercise not directed at any country.

Taiwan is increasing its public release of operational details and maps tracking Chinese warships and Coast Guard vessels.

Chinese defence ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang responded on October 29, 2026, urging Manila to recognize reality and refrain from challenging Beijing's resolve to defend its territorial sovereignty.

An international arbitral tribunal ruled in 2016 that China's sweeping territorial claims in the South China Sea have no basis under international law, a decision Beijing rejects.

Australia protested against China's test of a nuclear-capable missile in the South Pacific in July 2026, calling the launch destabilizing.

The People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command stated its combat readiness patrols around Scarborough Shoal were a necessary countermeasure to Philippine rights-violation and provocative acts.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea via a nine-dash line on its maps cutting into exclusive economic zones of five Southeast Asian nations.

China's militarization of artificial islands in the South China Sea prompted Canberra and Washington to deepen defense cooperation with Southeast Asian countries.

At the ASEAN defense gathering in Cebu on October 29, 2026, Beijing accused an unnamed Philippine politician of obstructing its participation, while Manila stated China was given an opportunity to speak.

The People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command conducted combat readiness patrols with naval and air forces around Scarborough Shoal on October 30, 2026.

The China Coast Guard conducted law-enforcement patrols in the waters around Scarborough Shoal on October 30, 2026.

The People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command announced that it strengthened its patrols around Scarborough Shoal during October 2026.

China's Defence Ministry stated that the Liaoning carrier group entered the western Pacific on October 14, 2026 to test long-range open-ocean combat capabilities.

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles stated that China is engaged in the biggest conventional military buildup that the world has seen since the end of the Second World War.

Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro stated on October 23, 2026, that any attempt by China to forcibly tow away the grounded BRP Sierra Madre would constitute an act of war.

China Coast Guard officer Lin Weicong stated that recent training around Renai Jiao and Xianbin Jiao improved preparedness to respond to foreign infringement.