China’s military said Sunday (May 2) that a fleet of the aircraft carrier Shandong conducted a recent exercise in the South China Sea.
China has repeatedly complained about the proximity of U.S. Navy warships to the islands it occupies in the South China Sea. The U.S. carrier group has repeatedly sailed near Chinese-controlled islands in disputed waters this year.
The Chinese military described the exercise as routine training, saying it is part of the Chinese Navy’s annual work plan. The Shandong, which begins service in 2019, is China’s second aircraft carrier.
According to Chinese media reports, Chinese navy spokesman Patrick Gao posted on the navy’s WeChat public number that “a few days ago, the Chinese navy organized the Shandong carrier formation to conduct training in the relevant waters of the South China Sea, which is a routine training organized in accordance with the annual work plan and is completely legitimate and legal.”
The Chinese Navy’s military statement said the training of the Shandong aircraft carrier “is conducive to improving the ability to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and to maintain regional peace and stability.” The statement hoped the outside world would look at it objectively and rationally, and said the Chinese navy would continue to organize similar exercises and training activities on a regular basis in the future as planned.
The Chinese navy said last month that similar exercises would be conducted more frequently amid escalating tensions with Taiwan.
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