Chinese warship holds live-fire drills inside Japan’s economic waters for first time - The Guardian

This incident reflects China's accelerating willingness to conduct military operations in contested maritime zones without allied response, directly challenging the rules-based order that underpins Australia's security architecture and regional stability. For Australia, the precedent of uncontested live-fire drills in another nation's EEZ normalises coercive military posturing in the Indo-Pacific, raising the risk environment for Australian naval operations and demonstrating China's confidence in its ability to operate without escalation costs.