The aircraft carrier Liaoning of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy Photo: file

The aircraft carrier Liaoning of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy recently held damage control drills that Chinese experts said are crucial to the vessel's combat capability. The experts stressed that China's carrier operations are normal, routine and expected to continue to increase, as Japanese media hyped the Liaoning's recent activities in the East China Sea.

The PLA Navy's aircraft carrier Liaoning recently conducted damage control exercises. Crew members fully equipped with protection suits and professional equipment practiced fire reconnaissance, smoke control and first aid in an intense but orderly manner, the PLA Daily reported on Monday. 

During the exercise, the Liaoning hosted aircraft takeoff and landing operations at sea, according to a video by China Bugle, an official media account affiliated with the PLA news media center.

Wang Yunfei, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Monday that damage control drills are a key part of a warship's basic training program. Damage control is a fundamental part of ensuring combat capability, as a warship could inevitably be attacked during combat and suffer damage that needs to be dealt with to avoid further losses.

Such exercises are so important that they are held from time to time, Wang said, noting that it is not aimed at any specific target.

The PLA Daily did not provide details on exactly when and where the exercises by the Liaoning took place. According to a press release by Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint Staff on Sunday evening, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force on Sunday spotted a group of five PLA Navy warships including the aircraft carrier Liaoning, two Type 052D guided missile destroyers and two Type 054A guided missile frigates sailing in waters about 200 kilometers north to Huangwei Yu, an islet near Diaoyu Dao.

Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands have always been China's territory.

Japanese news outlet NHK claimed in a report that this is the first time the defense ministry has announced takeoffs and landings of fighter jets using a Chinese aircraft carrier sailing in the East China Sea.

Song Zhongping, another Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Monday that Japan does not need to make a fuss out of a Chinese aircraft carrier's normal and routine activities. As Chinese carriers' operations become more frequent as they develop, everything will naturally fall into place.

In recent days, China has revealed the activities of all three of its aircraft carriers.

In addition to China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, the second aircraft carrier Shandong recently conducted a full-procedure flight support exercise at a naval port in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province, while the country's third carrier, the first one equipped with catapults, is holding intensive sea trials, the military channel of China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Saturday.

Aircraft carriers are not meant to remain constantly docked, but are meant to conduct all sorts of training exercises and missions in not only coastal waters but also far seas to enhance their tactical and strategic capabilities, Song said.