Key facts
- China's Liaoning aircraft carrier group sailed into the Philippine Sea last week.
- The group was positioned near Balut Island, the Philippines' southernmost point.
- The Liaoning conducted training exercises in the western Pacific on Oct. 14.
- The carrier group also operated near Japan's outlying islands and in Japan's EEZ.
China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning and its strike group sailed into the Philippine Sea last week, positioning themselves near disputed waters and ongoing US-Japan exercises. The carrier group was reported near Balut Island, the Philippines' southernmost point, before heading northeast.
The Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, has made at least six faraway deployments since its completion 14 years ago. Military analysts presume the People’s Liberation Army Navy has fixed a routine that will let the carrier help train and equip the fleet’s two more modern ones.
Carl Thayer, an Asia specialist, said the current voyage appears to be part of an established evolving pattern of far-seas training deployments. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy stated the expedition was a drill aimed at testing and improving combat readiness.
As of Oct. 23, the carrier group had done exercises near the southernmost Japanese outlying islands and was headed for the South China Sea near the Philippines. The Taiwan Ministry of National Defense said it was monitoring the possibility of large-scale Chinese military exercises nearby. Japan’s defense ministry reported seeing fighter aircraft taking off and landing from the Liaoning carrier 250 kilometers south of Japan’s Ishigaki Island.