By Ryan ChanShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberA Newsweek map shows that United States allies in the western Pacific—Japan, South Korea and the Philippines—are within range of Chinese missiles as tensions rise in the region over territorial disputes and Beijing's growing military activities.
Newsweek has contacted Japan's Defense Ministry, South Korea's Foreign Ministry and the Armed Forces of the Philippines for comment via email. China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a written request for comment.
Why It Matters
Japan and the Philippines are part of the first island chain—along with Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by China—under a U.S. strategy that seeks to deter potential Chinese aggression. Beijing is in a diplomatic dispute with Tokyo over Japan's stance on Taiwan and has overlapping sovereignty claims with Manila in the South China Sea.
South Korea, where about 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed to deter nuclear-armed North Korea and potentially to check China's assertive activities in the Indo-Pacific, has expressed concern over China's ongoing naval presence in the disputed waters of the Yellow Sea, as Beijing and Seoul have yet to delimit their maritime boundary.
What To Know
Based on a Pentagon report on Chinese military power, a Newsweek map shows that Chinese short-range ballistic missiles—with a range of up to 621 miles—and medium-range ballistic missiles, capable of striking as far as 1,864 miles, cover Japan, South Korea and the Philippines and extend into waters east of the second island chain.
The second island chain centers on Guam, the U.S.'s westernmost territory, which hosts Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy bases and stretches from Japan to New Guinea.
The Pentagon estimated that China's medium-range ballistic missile force includes about 300 launchers and 1,300 missiles, while its short-range ballistic missile units have 300 launchers and 900 missiles. Both types also cover the entire South China Sea.
In addition to land targets, the Chinese military can strike vessels, including aircraft carriers, around the first island chain using DF-21D medium-range anti-ship ballistic missiles. According to the Pentagon, the missile has a range exceeding 932 miles.
One of China's medium-range missiles, the DF-17, is equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle warhead capable of traveling at speeds greater than Mach 5 and maneuvering in flight, making it difficult to detect and intercept with current missile defense systems.
A number of U.S. military bases are within the range of Chinese short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, including Kadena Air Base and Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, which serve as an airpower hub and the home port of an aircraft carrier, respectively.
Facing China's evolving threats, the U.S. has deployed missile defense systems across Japan and South Korea, including the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), a second Newsweek map shows.
Since April last year, the Philippines has been hosting the U.S. Typhon system, which can fire the Standard Missile-6 interceptor against aerial threats. China has accused the deployment of threatening its security interests and has vowed to take countermeasures.
...What People Are Saying
The Pentagon's Chinese military power report said: "The [People's Liberation Army Rocket Force]'s growing arsenals of advanced and longer-range conventional missile systems improves its readiness for long-range precision strikes on U.S. and allied forces and bases throughout much of the Indo-Pacific."
Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, said in December 2024: "[The Pentagon's Chinese military power report] is filled with bias and designed to amplify the 'China threat' narrative only to justify the U.S.'s desire to maintain military supremacy. China is fully committed to being a force for peace, stability and progress in the world."
What Happens Next
China is expected to continue strengthening its missile force to maintain military advantages against its neighbors. It remains to be seen how the U.S. will reinforce its defense posture in the western Pacific to signal its security commitments to allies.
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