The Chinese navy has staged combat drills in the South China Sea featuring one of its most advanced amphibious warfare ships.
The Jinggang Shan, a Type 071 landing ship, “recently” took part in an extensive drill over several days, according to a social media post by the People’s Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command.
It said this “high-intensity maritime training” was designed to improve the navy’s operational coordination and ability to perform diverse missions in challenging environments.https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.660.0_en.html#goog_203908284
The exercises included both offensive and defensive manoeuvres, information gathering, battlefield rescues, helicopter drills and a simulation in which the ship successfully tracked and destroyed a target in the air.
The Southern Theatre Command did not say where or when the exercises occurred.
The ship is capable of carrying hundreds of troops and dispatching four hovercraft and 15 amphibious vehicles at the same time.
Meanwhile state broadcaster CCTV reported that two frigates had conducted live-fire exercises in the South China Sea, including air defence and anti-submarine drills. Another exercise saw the navy practising anti-mine operations designed to “break the enemy’s blockade of shipping lanes”.
It did not say whether these exercises were related to the Jinggang Shan’s drill or were separate.
Earlier this year, the Jinggang Shan visited Cambodia and East Timor to take part in joint training exercises and boost ties with their hosts.
The ship’s recent drills in the South China Sea come amid heightened tensions between China and the Philippines.
At the same time, Manila has moved to strengthen its military ties with its neighbours and the United States, including its first joint coastguard drill with Vietnam off the west coast of Luzon earlier this month.
Philippine fishing crews have also complained that Chinese vessels are obstructing their activities, with the most recent incident taking place near Scarborough Shoal, another disputed feature which is held by Beijing.
As well as its dispute with the Philippines, China’s sweeping claims to much of the resource-rich South China Sea also overlap with those of Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.
During the recent visit to China by Vietnam’s new leader To Lam, the two countries agreed to resolve their dispute “through friendly consultations”.
