US-China relations: PLA bombers carry out ‘attack exercise’ in South China Sea
- H-6G and H-6J bombers practise nighttime take-offs, set their sights on sea targets, defence ministry says
- Manoeuvres come just weeks after two US Navy aircraft carrier strike groups conducted drills in the disputed water
Both H-6G and H-6J bombers from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) were involved in the drills, which simulated nighttime take-offs, long-range raids and attacks on sea targets, the defence ministry said.
The exercise was part of the Chinese military’s regular operations to boost its combat readiness, spokesman Ren Guoqiang. He did not specify the exact location of the drill or say when it took place.
Meanwhile, the PLA Southern Theatre Command said on Thursday that a naval fleet of three frigates – the Liupanshui, Qujing and Meizhou – took part in a drill in the South China Sea earlier this month.
The increase in military manoeuvres comes amid a sharp uptick in tensions between China and the United States over the strategic waterway.
Earlier this month, Washington formally labelled most of China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea illegal, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying the US and the world would not allow Beijing to treat the waterway as its “maritime empire”.