China navy conducts drills in Pacific; Japan scrambles jets
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A handout showing Chinese naval vessels in the Philippine Sea on Dec 3. China is thought to be boosting its operational capability in waters far from the mainland.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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China’s navy conducted training flights in the Pacific Ocean on Dec 6 from its aircraft carrier Liaoning after the ship passed through waters off Japan’s southernmost prefecture of Okinawa, prompting the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to scramble some aircraft, Japan’s Defence Ministry said.
The latest take-off and landing drills involving Chinese fighters and helicopters marked the first to be confirmed in waters around Japan since China commissioned its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, in November.
They come amid heightened diplomatic tensions between the Asian neighbours.
China is thought to be testing and boosting its operational capability in waters increasing maritime assertiveness has alarmed Japan and other countries
The Japanese Defence Ministry spotted the Liaoning sailing in the East China Sea on Dec 5, around 420km north of Kuba Island, an islet controlled by Japan but claimed by China.
Joined by three Chinese destroyers, the aircraft carrier then headed towards the Pacific Ocean and conducted training flights in waters some 270km west of Okidaito Island, the ministry said.
Okinawa is close to Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.
The recent spike in tensions between Tokyo and Beijing stems from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks that a military attack on Taiwan could present a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, indicating the SDF’s potential involvement in response to such a scenario.
The introduction of a third aircraft carrier has enabled China to use them on a rotational basis, with at least one always deployed while the other two undergo maintenance work, according to experts. KYODO NEWS
