US and Japan begin exercises including missiles that China calls a threat

Seoul, South Korea —

The United States and Japan begin two weeks of military exercises on Thursday that will deploy a missile system capable of striking the Chinese mainland, a move Beijing has already condemned as threat to regional security and stability.

The Resolute Dragon exercises kick off less than 48 hours after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke with his Chinese counterpart, Defense Minister Adm. Dong Jun, via video call in their first known talks, which the Pentagon described as “candid and constructive.”

The US-Japan drills also come just over a week after a massive Chinese military parade in Beijing, during which the People’s Liberation Army showed off some of its newest missile systems while leader Xi Jinping watched alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and N