Right before the American Thanksgiving holiday, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) said it would conduct military exercises in the Western Pacific this month.

The announcement has aroused wide attention, speculation and concern in the region. [1] There is some suspicion that this is China's tit-for-tat response to US President Barack Obama's announcement earlier this month of strengthening the US military presence in Asia-Pacific, including an increase in the number of US military troops in Australia - which raised protests by the Chinese government.