In a move that probably won't be featured in any upcoming tourism ads for the region, a Chinese missile destroyer fired live rounds inside Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on Sunday for the first time ever. This happened just a day before Chinese and Philippine sailors had their own little disagreement in the South China Sea, complete with alleged baton strikes and long poles.

Three Chinese warships and a Russian frigate were spotted sailing between Okinawa’s main island and Miyako island into the Pacific on Thursday, before being picked up again around 330km south-west of Okinotori early Sunday. The Chinese destroyer then politely warned nearby shipping that it would be conducting a drill, which reportedly included machine guns using live ammunition. The drill took place about 180km from Okinotori, Japan's southernmost island - which Japan considers an island, but China insists is just a reef, because nothing says diplomatic relations like quibbling over geological definitions.

Japan's top government spokesman Minoru Kihara expressed concern, calling the drill "part of a move by the two militaries toward strengthening their cooperation." Tokyo told Beijing that the drill "could have endangered the navigation of nearby ships," to which Beijing likely responded with a diplomatic shrug. Japan is now monitoring the area with the kind of vigilance usually reserved for suspicious packages on the subway.

This isn't the first time Chinese vessels have visited Japan's EEZ - a Chinese aircraft carrier and a research ship stopped by in 2025 - but it's the first time Japan's defence ministry has acknowledged a foreign navy firing live rounds there. Meanwhile, Chinese and Russian military exercises around Japan have increased since Tokyo's relations with Moscow soured over Ukraine, and after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November 2025 that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could spark a Japanese military response.

On Monday, a Chinese vessel also approached the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, controlled by the Philippines but claimed by Beijing. Philippine navy personnel sent rubber dinghies to deter the Chinese boat, and according to Philippine authorities, a Chinese crew member allegedly struck a Filipino sailor with a wooden baton, causing a serious head injury. China disputed this, claiming its personnel issued warnings and that the Philippine crew attacked first with long poles. It's like a maritime version of "he said, she said," but with more international law violations.

The Philippines won a landmark case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 that found China's sweeping claims in the South China Sea had no basis under international law - a decision Beijing continuously rejects, presumably because they weren't consulted on the verdict.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, arriving in the Philippines for the Asean summit, condemned China's actions, stating that "China's troubling pattern of provocations undermines regional peace and stability." Rubio also affirmed US commitment to freedom of navigation in Southeast Asia, though it remains to be seen if that includes freedom to hold live-fire drills in someone else's economic waters. Rubio expressed openness to meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, but no confirmation yet. Stay tuned.