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| China's Liaoning Carrier Fleet Enter the Western Pacific To War Exercise |
Beijing - The Liaoning aircraft carrier battle group of China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) crossed the Miyako Strait and entered the West Pacific for war games. The battleships part of the battle group were the Type 055 destroyers.
The maneuvers began on Friday, the same day Japan announced plans to equip itself with missiles capable of striking China. The Joint Staff of the Japanese Ministry of Defense in a press release said the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force had observed the movement of the PLA Navy fleet since Thursday.
They consisted of the aircraft carrier Liaoning, the Type 055 large destroyers Anshan and Wuxi, the Type 052D destroyer Chengdu, the Type 054A frigate Zaozhuang and the Type 901 comprehensive replenishment vessel Hulunhu. They sailed from the East China Sea across the Miyako Strait and into the Western Pacific.
Earlier, from Monday to Thursday, Japan also reported that the Type 055 large destroyer Lhasa, the Type 052D Kaifeng destroyer and the Type 903A reloader Taihu had sailed from the East China Sea across the Osumi Strait to the Western Pacific. A PLA Navy electronic reconnaissance ship with hull number 796 and a Sovremenny Taizhou-class destroyer have also sailed from the East China Sea across the Miyako Strait to the Western Pacific.
It is not known whether all the ships mentioned above are actually part of the Liaoning carrier battle group, but the record-breaking number of Type 055 class 10,000-ton destroyers could mean that this is the most powerful configuration of the Liaoning carrier group.
Previously, only one Type 055 was featured in the carrier battle group, and this time there were three. Chinese military expert Song Zhongping said the Liaoning carrier strike group appeared to be carrying out routine combat drills, in which ships in the group would practice coordinated movement and joint operations, and carrier-based fighter jets would practice takeoffs and landings. Song said that the Type 055 large destroyer is the best escort of China's aircraft carriers. He suspects the Liaoning carrier battle group also has nuclear-powered submarines. According to him, such exercises have become commonplace and routine.
In May this year, the Liaoning carrier battle group held deep combat exercises in the Western Pacific, east of the island of Taiwan and south of Japan. With more than 300 aircraft sorties in about 20 days, the mission marked the longest and most intensive exercise by a Chinese carrier in the region.
Friday, the day the Liaoning carrier strike group sailed through the Miyako Strait, was also the day Japan adopted a national security strategy that stated plans to have pre-strike and cruise missile capabilities within a few years to provide a more offensive foothold against threats from China.
The AP news agency reported Japan's move as a major break from post-World War II principles. According to Song, facing Japan's continuous efforts to revise its defense strategy and expand its armed forces, the PLA needs to increase its combat readiness to deal with possible emergencies.
"Our drills are not aimed at any third party, but if a third party threatens China, then they should feel that the drills are targeting them," Song said, as quoted by the Global Times, Saturday (17/12/2022). The PLA, Song continued, will strictly safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and stop other countries from interfering in Taiwan's affairs.