China conducts anti-piracy drills in Gulf of Aden

China has filed a formal protest with Japan after the destroyer JS Ikazuchi transited the Taiwan Strait, calling it a deliberate provocation. Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said the move sent the wrong signal to separatist forces in Taiwan and would only harden Chinese resolve, urging Tokyo to respect the one-China principle. The PLA Eastern Theater Command deployed naval and air assets to track and monitor the vessel throughout its passage, with Chinese forces remaining on high alert.