The Pentagon observed five Chinese navy ships operating in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska in the midst of President Barack Obama's three-day trip to the Arctic region.

The sighting marks the first time defense officials have logged Chinese movements in such northern waters, and experts view presence of the Chinese vessels as an attempt to underline Beijing's naval power, the Wall Street Journal reported.

"I don't think we'd characterize anything they're doing as threatening," an unidentified Pentagon source said.

The group -- three combat ships, a replenishment vessel and an amphibious landing ship -- was seen moving toward the Aleutian Islands, which are split between U.S. and Russian control. The Chinese vessels were still in the area on Wednesday, but defense officials declined to elaborate on how far they were from the coast of Alaska during Obama's visit.

But on the record, Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Bill Urban admitted it was the first time the department had observed ships of China's People's Liberation Army Navy in the Bering Sea.

"We respect the freedom of all nations to operate military vessels in international waters in accordance with international law," Urban said.

Dean Cheng, a China expert at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, told Reuters that the demonstration was mainly intended in send a message about the People's Republic's growing military might.

"It is living up to what the Chinese have been saying: 'We are now a blue water navy. We will operate in the far seas, and we are a global presence,'" Cheng said.

In Beijing, meanwhile, Chinese forces on Thursday revealed their Dongfeng 21D "carrier-killer" missile during a military parade held to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The weapon, long a tightly kept secret, threatens to reshape the balance of power in the western Pacific, the Financial Times noted.

Western defense experts estimate the missile has a range of close to 1,000 miles and may be able to travel at up to 10 times the speed of sound -- faster than anything that could intercept it.