The picture shows aircraft carrier Shandong berths at a naval port in Sanya. China's first domestically-made aircraft carrier Shandong (Hull 17) was officially commissioned to the PLA Navy at a military port in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province, on the afternoon of December 17, 2019, making China one of the few countries in the world that have multiple carriers. Photo:China Military

With the return of the Shandong aircraft carrier group and other warships, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has seemingly wrapped up its five-day blitz exercise around the island of Taiwan, which analysts said on Saturday was characterized by its large scale, joint operations and short duration in what could be a new tactic.

A number of PLA Navy warships including the aircraft carrier Shandong operated in the West Pacific to the southeast of the island of Taiwan from Wednesday to Thursday, before sailing through the Bashi Channel to the south of the Taiwan island and returning to the South China Sea from Thursday to Friday, according to a Friday press release from Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint Staff.

During its voyage, the Shandong hosted about 40 fighter jet sorties and 20 helicopter sorties, the Japanese release claimed.

The return of the carrier group came after the defense authority on the island of Taiwan said on Monday that it spotted the Shandong aircraft carrier group entering the West Pacific from the South China Sea via the Bashi Channel on that day, and according to another press release from Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint Staff on Wednesday, the carrier group consisted of the aircraft carrier Shandong, two Type 054A frigates, two Type 052D destroyers and a Type 901 replenishment ship.

Coinciding with both the departure and the return dates of the Shandong carrier group, a total of eight PLA Navy warships including Type 052D, Type 052C and Sovremenny-class destroyers and Type 054A frigates entered the West Pacific from the East China Sea via the Miyako Strait on Monday, with several returning via the same route on Friday.

These activities have led observers to believe that the PLA held a large-scale military exercise encircling the island of Taiwan from multiple directions from Monday to Friday, with the peak being on Wednesday, when the defense authority on the island of Taiwan reported 68 PLA aircraft and 10 PLA vessels around the island, including three YU-20 tanker aircraft heavily escorted by dozens of fighter jets flying to the southeast of the island in the direction of where the aircraft carrier Shandong was operating.

The Shandong carrier group from the South China Sea and the warship flotilla from the East China Sea, totaling some 14 vessels, encircled the island of Taiwan, as they either formed an unprecedently large carrier group, operated in separate flotillas in coordination or held confrontation combat training, analysts said.

The YU-20 tanker aircraft was likely tasked to enhance the range, endurance and munition load of warplanes that operated to the east side of the island, including the J-15 carrier-borne fighter jets on the Shandong, displaying the concept of joint operation among difference services and branches, analysts said.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese mainland military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times that the exercise was likely a comprehensive one that practiced all training courses including air defense, anti-submarine, anti-ship and land attack in a move for the aircraft carrier Shandong to get familiar with far sea maneuvers.

Such drills not only prepare for combat against "Taiwan independence" secessionist armed forces on the island of Taiwan, but also potential military forces of external countries, Song said.

While previous far sea exercises by PLA aircraft carriers often lasted for about a month, this time the Shandong only stayed beyond the first island chain for five days, but had more accompanying and coordinating forces, another Chinese mainland expert told the Global Times on Saturday.

It could represent a new tactic, that the PLA is able to deploy powerful, intensive forces in very large scale and finish their mission within a short period, the expert said.