The picture shows the aircraft carrier Liaoning (Hull 16) and other vessels and fighter jets in the maritime parade conducted by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in the South China Sea on the morning of April 12, 2018.Photo:China Military

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's aircraft carrier Liaoning reportedly moved into the Pacific Ocean east of the Philippines, with a US media outlet claiming it marks the furthest distance the Chinese carrier has sailed in the Western Pacific on deployment. A Chinese military affairs expert said on Tuesday that the Liaoning's training is routine and such long-distance voyages are expected to become increasingly regular.

Following operations from May 25 to 26, multiple PLA Navy warships including the aircraft carrier Liaoning continued to sail in the Pacific Ocean from about 340 kilometers to the south of Miyako Island to about 1,030 kilometers to the southeast of Miyako Island from May 27 to 29, according to a press release from Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint Staff on Monday.

From May 25 to 29, the aircraft carrier Liaoning conducted about 260 aircraft takeoff and landing sorties, the Japanese release said, noting that the PLA Navy carrier group then sailed further south into the Pacific Ocean on May 30.

Citing a map attached to the Japanese release showing the locations of Chinese warships over several days, USNI News, the news website of the US Naval Institute, noted that the Liaoning's position on May 30 is to the east of the Philippines and west of Guam. 

USNI News claimed that this marks one of the furthest points the Liaoning has reached on deployment from China, with past deployments being only as far as the South China Sea and Philippine Sea.

Wang Yunfei, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times that the aircraft carrier Liaoning is conducting normal training activities. The vessel has previously operated in the Western Pacific, so even if this mission extends farther than past voyages, it is not unusual. 

Aircraft carriers are not meant to stay near home ports, they are designed for long-range operations, Wang said, noting that Chinese aircraft carriers are expected to go even deeper into blue water zones in the future.

If the Japanese data are accurate, which said the Liaoning hosted about 260 aircraft sorties over five days, then this reflects a high level of training intensity and indicates that the carrier's air wing is fully combat-ready, Wang said.

Responding to an earlier release by the Japanese Defense Ministry claiming that the aircraft carrier Liaoning had conducted aircraft takeoff and landing exercises when it sailed in the East China Sea at the time, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson at China's Ministry of National Defense, said at a regular press conference on May 29 that the Liaoning aircraft carrier group's training activity in relevant waters was not directed at any specific country or target, and complies with international law and international practices.