China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier on Tuesday kicked off training that will include live-fire drills in the western Pacific, a move poised to draw attention from Japan amid tense bilateral ties.
The Liaoning-led carrier task group’s training will include far-sea tactical flight, live-fire exercises, and providing support and cover, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The Chinese navy did not specify the exact location of this week’s training, but said they were routine exercises in line with the military’s annual plan to test and improve combat abilities.
Advertisement
It also did not say how long the exercises would run, but a drill carried out by the Liaoning last May took about a month.
In December, Chinese military training in the western Pacific – an area that stretches from the eastern coast of Asia to the western shores of Oceania – led to a stand-off between Chinese warplanes and Japanese fighter jets that approached to monitor the activity.
Advertisement
The Liaoning-led group was carrying out flight training of carrier-based aircraft east of the Miyako Strait. China said it had notified Japan of the exercise, but Tokyo complained about the lack of detail in the notice.
Japan said that Chinese J-15 fighters locked fire-control radar – used to direct weapons towards a target – on Japanese F-15 jets in international airspace near Okinawa.