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.

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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.

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.

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

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

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.

Indo-Tibetan Border Police Director General Shatrujeet Kapur warned that his force's 50-year-old weapons require urgent modernization, noting traditional methods cannot compete with China's extensive military investments.

Following the 2026 downfalls of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, China's Central Military Commission was reduced to two remaining members, including Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Japan has expressed official concern regarding China's gradual escalation of military activity around remote Japanese islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Japan views rapidly growing Chinese military activities in and around Japanese territory as a threat and has fortified its southwestern region with longer-range missiles and interceptors.

China's July 2026 submarine-launched missile test demonstrated the sea-based leg of China's nuclear triad

On October 17, 2026, Xinhua News Agency reported on WeChat that China's July 2026 test marked the first time the People's Liberation Army deployed third-generation Changzheng series nuclear submarines to test-fire a strategic missile

The People's Liberation Army test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile from a nuclear submarine in the Pacific Ocean in July 2026

The People's Liberation Army did not disclose the specific type of missile or nuclear submarine used during China's July 2026 Pacific missile test-launch

China's July 2026 deployment of third-generation nuclear submarines represents a step-up in naval capabilities key to China's ambition of becoming a major naval power

Analysts had previously speculated that China's July 2026 missile launch was executed from a Type 094 submarine, a second-generation nuclear-powered boat in service for nearly a decade

Prior to China's July 2026 submarine-launched ICBM test, China had conducted only two publicly known intercontinental ballistic missile tests in the Pacific Ocean, both of which were land-based launches