China’s Military Conducts First Offshore Drills in Western Pacific

(PNA/Sputnik) — China’s military successfully carried out its first offshore drills in the Western Pacific Ocean amid unresolved tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Chinese aircraft flew over the Bashi Channel, a waterway contested between the Philippines and Taiwan. Bashi Channel is part of the Luzon Strait that connects the Philippine Sea to the South China Sea.

The People’s Liberation Army carried out the drills to improve PLA’s mobility and combativeness, according to the spokesman of the air force. Shen Jinke emphasized that the military exercise was not targeted against any country in the region and did not pose any threat.

China has been locked in several territorial disputes in the Western Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea and the East China Sea. (PNA/Sputnik) JBP/SSC