Taiwan's national security chief says China is running naval drills right along the waters east of Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines, a move he calls a shared threat to all three.

• China's Liaoning carrier strike group, along with other navy and coast guard vessels, is operating east of the so-called first island chain, stretching from waters west of Japan's Kyushu down to the Philippine Sea.
• Chinese warships and coast guard or maritime-authority ships are also active closer in, around Taiwan's northwest, southwest, and eastern coasts, plus the East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, and South China Sea.
• Taiwan's national security secretary-general Joseph Wu says officials are watching the movements closely and that the threat is clearly shared by Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines.
• The scale of the deployment, ships spread across a huge stretch of ocean, signals Beijing is practicing the kind of reach it would need to pressure or encircle Taiwan and pressure its neighbors at the same time.

Outlook: Expect continued close monitoring and likely diplomatic pushback from Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines as they watch for further Chinese naval moves in the region.