The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's routine escort operations in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia are a practice of implementing the China-proposed Global Security Initiative, and are not related to the current situation in the region, a Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.
China will likely continue its trend of moderately increasing its defense budget in 2024, prompted by the country's needs in military modernization, the challenging security environment, and the recovering economic situation, experts predicted shortly before the figure's anticipated announcement next week.
China's Sky Hawk unmanned flying vehicle (UAV) is scheduled to conduct outdoors tests soon after some of its main parameters have been upgraded. Chinese experts said on Tuesday that the flying wing-configured drone is expected to play major roles in reconnaissance and attack missions.
After the China Coast Guard (CCG) released a photo on Sunday showing mainland cutters sailing close to boats from the island of Taiwan, with Kinmen island in visual range, Chinese military experts pointed out that the photo, together with a previous one showing the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) holding drills in the waters around the island of Taiwan on August 5, 2022, demonstrated that Chinese mainland has made firm and swift response to the provocative actions of "Taiwan independence," with everything happening in the waters around Taiwan island under control.
A group of officially organized Philippine fishing ships recently trespassed waters off China's Huangyan Dao (also known as Huangyan Island) in the South China Sea, people familiar with the matter confirmed with the Global Times on Sunday.
The Chinese mainland's maritime law enforcement authorities on Sunday conducted more patrols in waters near Kinmen in a move to safeguard the safety of fishermen's lives and property, after Taiwan authorities brutally assaulted a mainland fishing boat in the region earlier this month which led to the death of two crew members. The combined effect of the fatal incident and continued “Taiwan independence” activities by the secessionist Taiwan authorities will see such patrols become routine, experts said.
Facing recent rights-infringing moves from the Philippines in the South China Sea, the Taiwan authorities near Kinmen in the Taiwan Straits and Japan around the Diaoyu Islands, the China Coast Guard (CCG) carried out intensive law enforcement activities, displaying its capabilities gained from high-quality development and in firmly safeguarding China's territorial sovereignty and maritime interests, experts said on Thursday.
Only one US aircraft carrier is currently deployed in the Western Pacific, not five as claimed by several media outlets, according to monitoring by a Beijing-based think tank.
As China's independently developed Z-10ME attack helicopter made its overseas debut at the Singapore Airshow on Tuesday, analysts said that the helicopter has huge potential on the international market.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday monitored a Philippines-rallied joint air patrol in the South China Sea, which experts said on Tuesday was a political show aimed at China but had little military significance.
A mockup of a stealth fighter jet, reportedly the J-35, was recently spotted on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Liaoning, prompting experts to say on Monday that China's next generation carrier-based fighter jet is not exclusive to the catapult-equipped carrier Fujian, but can also be used on ramp-equipped carriers Liaoning and Shandong.
The eighth Type 055 large destroyer of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has achieved operational capability, it was announced in a recent exercise in the South China Sea, marking all eight warships of this class now currently in service are now ready for deployment, experts said on Sunday.
Facing provocations from the Philippines and the US during the Spring Festival holidays, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the China Coast Guard (CCG) did not let their guards down, took effective measures, and firmly defended China's sovereign security and maritime rights in the South China Sea, experts said on Saturday.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force is using an elite combat unit to train J-20 pilots amid deliveries of the stealth fighter jet to multiple units, a move experts said on Saturday will contribute to the fast generation of new combat capabilities which require pilots to not only fight, but also command.
The China Coast Guard (CCG) announced on Sunday that it had expelled a Philippine Coast Guard vessel that illegally intruded into waters adjacent to Huangyan Island in the South China Sea multiple times from February 2 to 9, noting that China's responses were professional and reiterating its firm resolve to safeguard China's national sovereignty
After delivering flight performances at the World Defence Show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, seven J-10 fighter jets of the August 1st Aerobatics Team of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force flew directly back to China, accompanied and supported by the YU-20 aerial tanker, landing at an airport in western China on Saturday.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's aircraft carrier-based fighter jets recently conducted a training exercise with early warning aircraft, a model of warplane currently based only on land but not on aircraft carriers , prompting experts to predict that the Chinese carrier-based early warning aircraft will make its official appearance soon.
Amid Saudi Arabia's pursuit of military procurement localization, top Chinese defense products including fighter jets, drones, and armored vehicles have attracted great interest at an ongoing defense expo in Riyadh on Tuesday, with experts saying that Chinese arms firms can provide technology transfers that contribute to localized manufacturing.
The Chinese military, including its J-20 stealth fighter jets, will enhance combat alert duties during the upcoming Spring Festival holidays, a regular but important arrangement that will fend off any potential foreign provocations, experts said on Monday.
The Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the US military named China as a hypothetical enemy for the first time in their joint command post exercise, Japanese government sources said Sunday, according to Japanese media. Experts noted that there is significant difficulty in putting these operational plans into practice for the US and Japan and will not alter the outcome of the Taiwan question.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy and Air Force are extending their reach with new milestones in replenishment ships and large cargo planes, a move experts said on Sunday contributes to not only China's national defense but also world peace and stability.
The armed forces on the island of Taiwan recently simulated the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) "turning drills into an attack," a move Chinese mainland experts said on Thursday is only a powerless political show and exposes the guilty conscience of "Taiwan independence" secessionists.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) recently held a live-fire missile exercise along the southeastern coast where it can cover the Taiwan Straits, sending a warning to “Taiwan independence” secessionists and external interference forces, experts said on Wednesday. The navy of the PLA Eastern Theater Command recently conducted an all-element anti-ship missile assault exercise in an eastern coastal region in East China's Fujian Province, with several transporter erector launchers commencing live-fire missile attacks, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Wednesday.
After receiving new designs to further enhance effectiveness in information-based combat in modern warfare, China's CH-7 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has completed tests and its development is scheduled to finish this year. Chinese observers expect the drone to make a new appearance at the upcoming Airshow China in November.
In a move experts said on Monday reflects the US' obsession with containing China and risks backfiring, the US recently reportedly started production for the B-21 bomber, which made its first flight only two months ago.
Seven J-10 fighter jets from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force Bayi Aerobatic Team took off on Monday morning from an airport in northwestern China for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to participate in the World Defense Show 2024 that will be held from February 4 to 8, announced Senior Colonel Xie Peng, a spokesperson of the PLA Air Force.
Despite the recent easing of tensions in the South China Sea, the Philippines again provoked China by airdropping supplies to its illegally grounded warship on Ren'ai Jiao (also known as Ren'ai Reef) and sensationalizing Philippine fishermen's trespass on Huangyan Dao (also known as Huangyan Island), with experts saying on Sunday that these new methods of provocation increase the risk of triggering accidents, and the only way to resolve the dispute is through dialogue.
The China Coast Guard (CCG) recently stopped a group of Philippine fishermen from conducting illegal activities on China's Huangyan Dao (also known as Huangyan Island) in the South China Sea, a source confirmed with the Global Times on Friday.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) tracked and monitored a US destroyer as it made a transit through the Taiwan Straits on Wednesday, with experts saying on Thursday that the provocative US move, the first of its kind since separatist Lai Ching-te won the Taiwan regional election, sent a wrong signal and further raised tensions.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy announced on Wednesday that the aircraft carrier Shandong recently conducted a series of exercises while moored at its homeport, with analysts saying that the port drills can enhance the carrier's capabilities at sea.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's eighth Type 055 large destroyer recently received a multi-mission examination that experts said on Monday tested the newly commissioned warship's comprehensive capabilities, as the vessel readies itself for combat.
Experts on Sunday said that while the Chinese military is prepared to counter the US' close-in drone reconnaissance attempts on China, the country is ready to establish a set of rules with the international community governing maritime and aerial interactions with drones, after a think tank report suggested that the US is increasing deployment of drones in such missions that will lead to more complexities in the two militaries' maritime and aerial interactions, as well as crisis management and control.
China's next generation frigate, the Type 054B, launched only five months ago, reportedly started trials recently, indicating smooth progress, experts said on Sunday.
Recent nighttime exercises and patrols by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) around the island of Taiwan are routine and aim to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity from “Taiwan independence” secessionists and external interference forces, Chinese mainland experts said on Thursday, amid foreign media hype over the “first large-scale military activity” after the island's regional election.
Pakistan recently announced a plan to procure FC-31 stealth fighter jets from China, a move experts said will not only significantly enhance the Pakistan Air Force's capabilities, but also open up the international market for the Chinese aircraft, marking a win-win cooperation. The Pakistan Air Force introduced its transformative modernization initiative in a press release posted on its social media platforms on Tuesday.
It has been apparently more than one month since the Philippines last sent ships to trespass into waters off China's Ren'ai Jiao (also known as Ren'ai Reef), marking the longest pause in Manila's provocations since August.
JL-8 trainer jets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force's Red Falcon Aerobatic Team arrived in Laos on Saturday in preparation for its first-ever flight performance in a foreign country, with experts saying on Sunday that the visit will contribute to development of the two countries' military ties and expand the international reputation of the Chinese aerobatic team, as well as the Chinese aircraft.
Under a nationwide upgrade program, more than 700 Chinese frontier outposts have connected to the national power grid, a move experts said on Sunday that has boosted the Chinese military's capabilities in border defense, including improving the living conditions of troops and the deployment of advanced, power-consuming weapons and equipment.
Warships of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy recently held an exercise in which they practiced defense against low, slow and small aerial targets, which experts said on Thursday pose a significant threat in modern warfare.
China and the US resumed the previously suspended defense policy coordination talks with a meeting this week, in which the Chinese side stressed its positions on the Taiwan question and the South China Sea issue, as well as maritime and air security issues.
China recently verified a new morphing wing structure that can help build future cross-domain aircraft, with an expert saying on Tuesday that the cutting-edge technology is expected to undergo flight tests before being applied.
The Chinese military has achieved significant victories in fighting against corruption whereas it is necessary to be aware that there still exist occasional instances of violations of laws among officials and soldiers inspite of strict measures and management, the PLA Daily commented recently, noting to the PLA will take preventive measures against the problems in advance.
The Party committee of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's first Type 055 large destroyer was honored as a role model on Sunday after the warship completed a series of challenging missions including fending off foreign military provocation in combat drills.
As countermeasures on US arms sales to China's Taiwan region and the country's sanctions on Chinese entities, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Sunday that China has decided to impose sanctions on five US defense companies, including freezing movable and immovable assets and other types of property held within China, as well as prohibiting organizations and individuals within China from engaging in transactions, cooperation, and other activities with these companies.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) extended its two-day routine patrol in the South China Sea into a third day of joint exercises on Friday, in a move experts said displayed China's determination and capability in safeguarding national sovereign security and maritime rights, as the US and the Philippines reportedly scaled down their joint patrol in the region.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) held a routine patrol in the South China Sea from Wednesday to Thursday in a move to safeguard national sovereign security and maritime rights and interests amid a concurrent US-Philippines joint patrol and Manila's repeated attempts to permanently occupy Chinese reefs in the region.
Taiwan's DPP authorities have continuously sensationalized Chinese mainland balloons flying over the island since the start of 2024 despite knowing that they were for meteorological purposes and drifted due to seasonal winds, a move experts said on Thursday aims to hype up the “mainland threat” theory, stir up confrontation and snare votes in the upcoming regional election.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Wednesday launched a two-day routine patrol in the South China Sea, concurrently with a US-Philippines joint patrol in the region, with experts saying that the PLA patrol is pointed toward infringement and provocative actions by the Philippines and the US, and displays China's determination and firm will in safeguarding territorial sovereignty and maritime rights.
China's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, is nearly complete and could make its maiden voyage soon, experts said on Wednesday, after the warship was briefly featured in a national media report on Tuesday that indicated smooth progress in its mooring tests.
In the season of heavy snow and freezing cold, the soldiers at the border frontlines remain steadfast while on duty in the snowy mountains, a testament not only to their spirit of sacrifice and dedication but also to the strong logistical support provided by the military. The widespread use of new-quality logistical support equipment demonstrates the care of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee for the soldiers at the border and reflects the PLA's determination to defend China's territory.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) have received a solid boost to their comprehensive combat capabilities amid a deteriorating security environment, experts said on Tuesday, after China's aviation industry wrapped up 2023 with warplane productions that exceeded expectation.
The Red Sea - one of the world's most important shipping lanes that links markets in Europe with Asia - saw another bloody incident on Sunday with Yemen's Houthi group stating that 10 of its fighters were killed by US naval forces while they were preventing Israel-related ships from passing through the Red Sea, in solidarity and support for the Palestinian people.
The US Department of Defense's hyping of 2023 being a "decisive year" in the Indo-Pacific region is filled with Cold War mentality and exposes its aggressiveness toward China, analysts said on Thursday, after the Pentagon on Wednesday released a fact sheet summarizing its work in the region.
The Chinese Defense Ministry on Thursday vowed not to turn a blind eye toward the Philippines' repeated provocations and harassment, and demanded that the US immediately stop interfering in the South China Sea issue.
Chinese experts raised concerns on Wednesday about the growing risks of a wider conflict in the Middle East, as Israel's military chief warned that its war on Hamas will likely last for months. Experts said that it is hard to predict when the war will end, but that a prolonged war will be increasingly detrimental to Israel.
A US aircraft carrier has reportedly entered the South China Sea in a move experts said on Wednesday sends a wrong signal to the Philippines amid the Southeast Asian country's repeated provocations on Chinese islands and reefs in the region.
Although some Western media view Russia's latest control of Maryinka in eastern Ukraine, which is a small town in the Donetsk region, as Moscow's "most significant battlefield gains since May," some Chinese experts believe that this single progress will not provide the means to break the military stalemate between the two sides that has persisted for nearly two years. When the world is forecasting what could happen in the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2024, Chinese experts said there could be "more room for imagination" after the US presidential election in next November.
Israel's killing of a senior adviser in Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is likely to further stimulate anti-Israel and anti-US sentiment in Iran and complicate regional conflicts, as well as the Red Sea situation, said Chinese experts.
Christmas bloodshed in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of at least 70 people, marking one of the deadliest nights in the ongoing battle between Israel and Palestine. Chinese experts believe the Netanyahu government's determination to extend its "aggressive" military actions in the Gaza Strip will only widen the existing gap between the parties, and hopes for agreeing on a new plan proposed by Egypt are slim.
China is set to celebrate the 15th anniversary of its overseas naval escort missions on Tuesday, through which the country has been contributing to global peace and stability with concrete actions amid its shift in naval strategy from near seas defense to far seas protection, experts said.
After the US and Japan on Friday announced record defense budgets for 2024, with media reporting both have China in mind, experts warned on Sunday that under a deteriorating global security situation, the US is giving tacit permission to Japan to break away from its self-defense-only principle to help maintain the US' global hegemony amid dangerous rises in Japan's right-wing militaristic moves.
Senior military officers from China and the US held a virtual meeting on Thursday night, marking the first high-level military dialogue for more than a year. According to readouts from both sides, senior officers stressed the importance of exchanges and dialogue during the video call, but the Chinese side also stressed the premise of healthy and stable military ties that "genuinely respect China's core interests and major concerns."
A senior Chinese military official on Thursday stressed China's stance on the Taiwan question and the South China Sea issue in a virtual meeting with a US' senior military official, as the two militaries started to resume talks following the recent meeting between the two countries' top leaders.
Surrounded by geopolitical security challenges from multiple facets amid a global deterioration in security environment, China in 2023 maintained vigilance, fended off foreign military provocations, and deterred "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces, while contributing to global peace and stability through concrete actions including foreign exchanges, joint exercises and patrols, peacekeeping and escort missions as well as international humanitarian aid.
Despite admitting the balloons were for meteorological purposes and were drifting due to monsoon, the defense authority on the island of Taiwan repeatedly announced the presence of mainland balloons near the island over recent days to hype the “threat” of the mainland, analysts said on Wednesday.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force is pursuing fast equipment development with the aim of adapting to future air combat, which could involve vastly expanded battlefield boundaries, highly dynamic games, greatly enhanced unmanned combat and main battle elements characterized by high altitude and fast speed, said an official recently.
Chinese mainland experts on Sunday slammed the collusion between the US and “Taiwan independence” secessionist forces for creating more risks of a conflict, after the US recently approved a sale of military data link equipment to the island of Taiwan.
Overseas media has reported that China recently launched its fourth Type 075 amphibious assault ship, a type of vessel which is believed to be able to not only safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity in regions like the Taiwan Straits and the South China Sea, but also sail to far seas and carry out non-military operations such as international humanitarian aid.
The Chinese and Russian militaries on Thursday held their second joint aerial strategic patrol of the year, the seventh in total since 2019, reportedly adding electronic warfare and reconnaissance aircraft to a group of bombers and fighters, in a move experts said was aimed at safeguarding peace and stability in the region.
A Philippine envoy recently hyped the possibility of a war in the South China Sea, a move observers said on Thursday aims to win more of the US' limited resources in a futile attempt to seize Chinese islands and reefs.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force has started to utilize mixed reality in aircraft maintenance, a move experts said on Wednesday can improve training for ground maintenance crews and lead to higher combat capabilities.
The Shandong aircraft carrier group of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) reportedly returned to the south via the Taiwan Straits on Monday following a month-long operation in the north, with experts saying on Tuesday that the Shandong likely helped train pilots for another PLA aircraft carrier, the north-based Liaoning, which has been under routine maintenance.
China will continue to take resolute counter measures to deal with any acts of infringement and provocation and firmly safeguard its own territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in accordance with domestic and international laws, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday.
The China Coast Guard (CCG) on Sunday took restriction measures on Philippine vessels that again trespassed into waters off a Chinese reef in the South China Sea and intentionally rammed a Chinese ship, with observers slamming the Philippines for breaking a tacit understanding with China and launching unprofessional operations, and also the US for fueling the Philippines' audacity of provocation.
The US has again hyped the alleged Chinese control of Cambodia's Ream Naval Base amid reports saying Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy warships recently visited the Ream port for the first time since a China-assisted renovation project there started in 2022.
With Israel's intensifying fighting in the Gaza Strip raising concerns over a worsening humanitarian crisis, UN chief Antonio Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter for the first time in his tenure, warning of severe risk of collapse of the humanitarian system. Some experts believed that invoking a rarely used clause in the UN charter hinted that the UN Security Council has not met its responsibilities in promoting a cease-fire due to the interference of the US, which has not exerted sufficient pressure on Israel.
The US is entangled in deepened partisan divisions as it is running out of aid for Ukraine while facing growing international pressure on the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip after Israel renewed its offensive. Some experts said on Wednesday that as both wars continue, those crises will not only become a heavy financial burden on Washington but also serve as a tool for partisan struggles as the elections loom.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy recently completed its 1,600th escort mission amid emerging signs of danger in the Gulf of Aden, making concrete efforts to safeguard peace and stability in the world as it strides to become a blue-water navy, experts said on Wednesday.
Given Israel's military has been pushing its operations deeper into southern Gaza, intensifying its airstrikes and even reportedly considering flooding Gaza tunnels with seawater to drive out Hamas fighters, some Chinese experts raised concerns over the worsening humanitarian crisis. They described the offensive as moving toward savage methods, reflecting Israel's determination of expanding its ground operations in Gaza despite mounting pressure from the international community.
Japan, the US and Australia recently launched their first trilateral command post drill that aims to boost the defense of Japan "with China in mind," a move Chinese experts said on Tuesday reflects the three countries' groundless, dangerous obsession in hyping the "China threat" theory.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday slammed the US for violating Chinese sovereignty and described it as "the biggest threat" to peace and stability in the South China Sea, after a US Navy ship illegally intruded into waters adjacent to Ren'ai Jiao (also known as Ren'ai Reef) in China's Nansha Islands, which are at the center of the recent tensions between China and the Philippines.
The Israeli military confirmed Sunday that it has expanded its ground offensive against Hamas militants in Southern Gaza, an area previously considered a "safe zone," sparking deep concern across the international community that nowhere in the Gaza Strip is safe for Palestinians anymore.
Using the "China threat" as an excuse to build hegemony, the US, the UK and Australia are reportedly expanding their AUKUS military cooperation from nuclear-powered submarines to anti-submarine systems featuring drones and artificial intelligence (AI) as well as space tracking, all of which are sensitive fields that risk triggering an arms race, experts warned on Sunday.
China's domestically developed Wing Loong unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are expected to expand their applications and become more intelligent, the aircraft's developer recently told the Global Times.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday inspected the command office for the East China Sea area of the China Coast Guard under the People's Armed Police Force.
The Chinese military is highly concerned and will be prepared for all kinds of possible emergencies that might occur along the China-Myanmar border, a Chinese defense ministry spokesperson said on Thursday, urging relevant parties to stop the fighting in northern Myanmar as soon as possible and resolve differences through dialogue.
The Philippines illegally “grounded” a warship on Ren'ai Jiao and has continuously sent ships intruding into the waters of the area, attempting to reinforce the “grounded” warship, which seriously infringes upon China's sovereignty and violates international law and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. History has shown that the US' interference always makes things worse, Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, said at Thursday's press briefing in response to media reports saying that the US has proposed relevant suggestions to the Philippines.
China's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, is holding mooring tests and will progress its construction steadily according to plan, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MOD) revealed on Thursday, amid speculations by foreign media reports saying that the Fujian recently tested its electromagnetic catapult system with a test vehicle in preparation for its upcoming maiden voyage.
India is reportedly set to acquire its second indigenous aircraft carrier to counter China, with analysts saying on Wednesday that being able to build one's own carriers is a great accomplishment, but building them only to "counter China" shows its tunnel vision.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) deployed howitzers and counter-battery radars in its ongoing live-fire exercise on the Chinese side of the China-Myanmar border in a move to test and show the troops' combat capabilities in safeguarding national sovereignty and border stability amid an armed conflict in the neighboring country.
The US military is reportedly planning to deploy new land-based intermediate-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region to "defend" the island of Taiwan, a move that "has limited tactical impact" at present but fully demonstrates the US' determination to interfere in the Taiwan question, observers said on Monday.
Live-fire drills and training exercises conducted by the Chinese military force along the Chinese side of the China-Myanmar border are defensive and aimed at safeguarding Chinese sovereignty, stability of border area and safety of personnel from impacts caused by the civil war in Myanmar, rather than an act to intervene in the internal affairs of the neighboring country, experts said on Sunday.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is at high vigilance amid continuous provocations by foreign forces from the sea, displaying its high level of readiness, capabilities and determination in safeguarding China's national sovereignty, safety and maritime rights, experts said on Sunday.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command announced on Saturday that it will conduct a series of real combat training and drills along the Chinese side of the China-Myanmar border, which is aimed to test the rapid maneuverability, border sealing and firepower capabilities of locally positioned troops.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command has monitored and has been on guard against the activities of the Australian frigate the Toowoomba while it transited the Taiwan Straits on Thursday, and the situation is under control, according to information from sources.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) was at the scene and on high alert when the US and Philippines launched a joint patrol in the South China Sea on Tuesday, with experts saying on Thursday that the PLA's presence deterred potential provocations and displayed China's capabilities in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and maritime interests.
An ongoing military exercise hosted by China and joined by five Southeast Asian countries has entered its actual combat phase. Participated by ground, maritime and aviation forces, the drills will comprehensively enhance participants' interoperability and trust, experts said on Thursday.
China on Wednesday warned the US and the Philippines that their recent joint naval patrols near Chinese territorial waters should not harm China's sovereignty and maritime interests, with analysts saying the military activities by Washington and Manila showed the two countries have no sincerity to ease tension.
US media on Monday claimed that the era of total US submarine dominance over China is ending, a move Chinese experts said on Tuesday is yet another hype of the “China threat” theory motivated by the US hegemonic mentality.
Australia's claims about a recent interaction between Chinese and Australian warships are completely inconsistent with the facts, said a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense on Monday.