China holds wargames as N Korea tensions spike
FLEXING MUSCLES Drills announced after Beijing backs sanctions on the North
The Chinese Navy and Air Force flexed their muscles in live-fire drills in seas adjacent to the Korean Peninsula, the defence ministry said, amid regional tensions over North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weaponry.
The “large-scale” exercises were being conducted in the seas and skies off China’s east coast in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Gulf, and included the firing of dozens of missiles, a notice posted on the defence ministry website said.
Naval and air force assets including dozens of ships, more than 10 aircraft, submarines and coastal defence personnel took part in the drills, which the ministry said were aimed at testing weapons and honing the military’s abilities in conducting coastal assaults and intercepting air targets.
The ministry did not specify how long the drills were to last but a four-day shipping ban ending on Tuesday was issued for the area where the drills were held.
The announcement comes just days after China backed a US-drafted UN Security Council resolution passed on Saturday that significantly stiffened sanctions against North Korea for its pursuit of nuclear and missile weapons systems.
In the wake of the resolution’s passing, China has reiterated its resolve to side with the international community in opposing North Korea’s nuclear weaponisation and sabre-rattling.
China has for some time been engaged in a modernisation of its once-backward armed forces, seeking military clout commensurate with its economic might, a drive that has caused unease among its regional neighbours.
China has also consistently railed against recurring USSouth Korean wargames that are directed at deterring a North Korean attack, but which China blames for fanning regional tensions.