China holds war games as tensions spike
SHANGHAI (AFP) – The Chinese navy and air force flexed their muscles in live-fire drills in seas adjacent to the Korean Peninsula, the defense 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 late Monday on the Ministry of Defense website said.
Naval and air force assets including dozens of ships, more than 10 aircraft, submarines and an unspecified number of coastal defense 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 fourday shipping ban ending on Tuesday was issued for the area where the drills were held, according to notices by the military and local authorities.
It was not immediately clear whether the war games were meant to send any sort of message.
But 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 aggressive saberrattling.
China has for some time been engaged in a modernization of its oncebackward armed forces, seeking military clout commensurate with its economic might, a drive that has caused unease among its regional neighbors.
China also has consistently railed against recurring US-South Korean war games that are directed at deterring a North Korean attack, but which China blames for fanning regional tensions.