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China says Shandong aircraft carrier handled foreign reconnaissance ‘prudently’
- The carrier and its escorts recently took part in a series of drills around Taiwan that were watched by the US and Japan
- State broadcaster CCTV says the group sailed to the western Pacific recently in a ‘systematic and large-scale manner’
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Amber Wangin Beijing
The Chinese Shandong aircraft carrier group said it dealt with foreign reconnaissance activity “prudently” during a recent series of drills around Taiwan, according to state media.
Shandong, the country’s second carrier, returned to its home port recently after it conducted combat readiness training east of Taiwan, according a report on Saturday by state broadcaster CCTV.
The carrier sailed to the western Pacific for the first time “in a systematic and large-scale manner” and participated in a series of patrols and drills around the island, the report added.
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The PLA kicked off the three-day exercise on April 8 soon after the Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen returned from a 10-day overseas trip that included a meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.
Beijing claims the island as part of its territory – and has never renounced the use of force to regain control – and regarded the meeting as a serious breach of its sovereignty.
CCTV said Shandong carrier strike group conducted joint exercises with the PLA’s Rocket Force, land-based aircraft and other surface combat forces outside the “island chain” which stands between mainland China and the deep ocean.
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