Two Chinese warships conducted live-fire exercises in the Western Pacific on Tuesday, just after one of China’s two aircraft carriers returned from a patrol.
The Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army said that the destroyer Dalian and guided-missile frigate Huangshan performed attack and defense maneuvers “not long ago” at an unspecified West Pacific location.
“The joint training in unfamiliar and complex waters is of great significance in exploring the boundaries of new equipment effectiveness, testing the practical application of new warfare method,” the command said, quoting a training officer.
The West Pacific exercises followed the Shandong, one of China’s two active aircraft carriers, returning to its home port this month after traveling around Taiwan and into the Western Pacific.
China’s modernizing military, with new cruisers and missile units, worries the U.S. and its allies.
“China’s aircraft carrier is not a homebody and cannot just stay at home,” Phoenix TV’s Song Zhongping told Reuters.
“Distant maritime voyages will increase. China has many battleships.”
The Southern Theatre Command said that China’s first domestically constructed amphibious assault ship, the Hainan, a destroyer, a frigate, and a supply ship, completed their maiden remote sea training in March following a 30-day cruise into the South China Sea and Western Pacific.
According to defense specialists, China’s military growth may take more than a decade to pose a credible carrier threat abroad.
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