Japan Welcomes China at U.S.-Led Naval Drills, From a Distance

Chinese and Japanese ships encounter each other almost daily around waters off contested islands in the East China Sea. As both align for multinational naval exercises under way in Hawaii meant to build trust, the two sides have barely made contact.

Rear Admiral Yasuki Nakahata, the Japanese commander, welcomed China’s presence for the first time in the biennial U.S.-led drills. Their involvement will create a “better international security environment” at sea, he said in an interview on Ford Island, Pearl Harbor.