WPS.NEWS — Indo-Pacific Security Brief
Publication Date: 15 December 2025

By Cliff Potts, CSO | Editor-in-Chief, WPS News

Beijing’s strategic behavior in the Indo-Pacific from 7 December through late afternoon on 14 December 2025 has put regional security dynamics under intense strain, with a mix of military activity, diplomatic posture, and allied responses reshaping the security landscape. A period that began with a sensitive aerial encounter near Japan’s airspace has accelerated broader cooperation among U.S. partners and heightened attention on China’s military relationships, economic diplomacy, and stated red-lines over Taiwan.

On 7 December 2025, Japanese authorities reported a tense incident involving a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) J-15 fighter jet locking its fire-control radar on Japanese Air Self-Defense Force F-15 fighters near Okinawa, an episode that lasted roughly 30 minutes and underscored the volatility of airspace interactions in the East China Sea. Tokyo’s framing of the event highlighted Beijing’s willingness to confront allied air patrols even absent “hostile action,” provoking diplomatic protests from Tokyo and deep concern among U.S. and allied defense officials.

China’s leadership framed the incident differently, asserting that such “scrutiny” over air and maritime maneuvers is part of routine operations in its defense of sovereignty and regional interests — a pattern Beijing has amplified in recent years as it projects power outward from the First Island Chain toward the broader Western Pacific.

Military Maneuvers and Power Projection
Throughout the week, China’s military outreach has remained robust. On 9 December, the PLA’s joint air patrols with Russia passed over the East China Sea and western Pacific, marking the tenth such coordinated sortie in 2025. The Chinese Defense Ministry described the mission as consistent with annual strategic cooperation plans, even as South Korea reported air defense alerts and emergency fighter scrambles in reaction to the probes near its Air Defense Identification Zone.

Back in the waters of the Philippine Sea, the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning concluded a patrol operation on 12 December, having transited near key sea lanes close to Japan, in what analysts described as a calibrated demonstration of Beijing’s ability to sustain carrier strike group operations across contested maritime spaces.

U.S. and allied responses have been direct and visible. Over Japan’s western approaches, the United States and Japan executed joint flight drills involving U.S. B-52 strategic bombers and Japanese F-35 and F-15 fighters, signaling interoperability and readiness to counter any coercive moves that threaten regional stability. Tokyo confirmed high-level defense consultations with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, reaffirming alliance commitments amid escalating Chinese— and broader Sino-Russian — military activity.

Diplomatic Positioning and Official Statements
China’s diplomatic apparatus, represented by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun, has emphasized economic resilience and cooperation while pushing back against what Beijing characterizes as exclusionary blocs focused on supply chains and technology. At a regular press briefing on 12 December 2025, Guo noted that China welcomed global confidence in its economic trajectory, as highlighted by upward revisions of growth forecasts from the IMF, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank. On U.S.-led efforts involving rare earths and tech supply chains, Beijing framed the initiative as needing “market economy principles and fair competition” to preserve industrial stability.

Simultaneously, China issued a hardline reaffirmation of its Taiwan policy in response to the U.S. 2025 National Security Strategy rollout on 8 December, which underscored deterrence and deeper U.S. engagement in the region. Beijing’s official reaction labeled Taiwan’s international space and any external support for independence aspirations as core sovereignty concerns.

Allied Consolidation and Regional Responses
This week also saw tangible progress in alliance and partnership frameworks. The United States and Australia released a joint fact sheet reaffirming commitments to a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” including expanding infrastructure cooperation in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, digital connectivity projects, and shared defense investments — a strategic counterweight to China’s assertive moves.

In the South China Sea theater, Manila received a substantial naval boost as South Korea delivered two advanced HDF-3200 frigates to the Philippine Navy to enhance maritime deterrence against unsafe Chinese maneuvers and assert Philippine sovereign rights.

Strategic Implications and Forward Look
The intensity of these developments signals a multipronged challenge for regional order. China’s military signaling and diplomatic pushes come amid broader great-power competition, even as Washington recalibrates its own strategy — balancing economic and security priorities across the Indo-Pacific. The ongoing friction with Japan has revealed how quickly localized incidents can influence alliance postures and spur deeper defense integration, particularly when civil aviation and air defense sectors operate in contested spaces.

Beijing’s twin tracks — robust economic diplomacy and force-projection exercises — reflect a more self-confident but fractious approach to regional influence. Allied responses, including enhanced joint military exercises and multilateral economic partnerships, are designed to preserve deterrence and reassure smaller states navigating between coercion and cooperation. As 2025 draws to a close, both Beijing and its regional counterparts are positioning for a competitive 2026 in an Indo-Pacific theater where stability will require calibrated strength and diplomatic ingenuity.

APA Citations

Reuters. (2025, December 8). China vows to defend sovereignty over Taiwan as Trump unveils security strategy. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-vows-defend-sovereignty-over-taiwan-trump-unveils-security-strategy-2025-12-08/

Reuters. (2025, December 9). China says it conducted air patrol with Russia in East China Sea, western Pacific. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-says-it-conducted-air-patrol-with-russia-east-china-sea-western-pacific-2025-12-09/

U.S. Naval Institute News. (2025, December 12). Chinese carrier Liaoning concludes Philippine Sea patrol near Japan. https://news.usni.org/2025/12/12/chinese-carrier-liaoning-concludes-philippine-sea-patrol-near-japan

Associated Press. (2025, December 12). US and Japan hold joint flight drills as China ups military activity near Japan. https://apnews.com/article/87e9785311d7254fc8e14188bd05f54c

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. (2025, December 12). Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun’s regular press conference. https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xw/fyrbt/202512/t20251212_11771774.html

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia & U.S. Government. (2025, December). Joint fact sheet on Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations. https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/penny-wong/media-release/joint-fact-sheet-australia-us-ministerial-consultations-ausmin-2025

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