Liaoning aircraft carrier and 40 warships move in the East Sea
Satellite images show a Chinese aircraft carrier and its escort formation south of Hainan Island.
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The Liaoning aircraft carrier (circled in red) in the Chinese warship formation. Photo: Planet Labs |
In this March 26 photo taken by Planet Labs, the Liaoning aircraft carrier and about 40 Chinese warships move in a double-file formation off Hainan Island.Reutersreport
The Chinese Navy announced last weekend that the Liaoning aircraft carrier strike group would participate in exercises in the East Sea, but did not give a specific location or time.
Analysts say this is a relatively large and rare formation of warships. The movement of warships with the Liaoning aircraft carrier in the center is more of a show of force than a demonstration of actual combat capability. In addition to the aircraft carrier and surface ships, there appear to be submarines and many fighter jets leading the formation.
"It's an amazing photo. This is important news, confirming that the Liaoning aircraft carrier is participating in this exercise," said security expert Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute for Strategic Studies in the US.
The Liaoning aircraft carrier strike group sailed through the Taiwan Strait on March 20, in a move believed to be a response to the Taiwan Travel Act passed by the US to strengthen relations between the two sides.
The announcement of the exercise plan was made by China in the context of the US Navy destroyer USS Mustin on March 23 conducting a freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) within 12 nautical miles of Vanh Khan Reef, part of Vietnam's Truong Sa archipelago, which China has illegally reclaimed and transformed into an artificial island.Beijing brazenly declared Washington's actions "a serious military and political provocation", affirming that it will increase its military strength in the East Sea.
"Based on satellite imagery, it appears that Beijing wants to demonstrate that its South Sea Fleet forces are capable of joining up with the carrier strike group from the northern port of Dalian. They appear to be demonstrating the capability of inter-fleet operations, something the Chinese navy has long sought to develop," said analyst Collin Koh of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
China’s navy and coast guard have expanded significantly in recent years, but little is known about their combat readiness and interoperability. Mr Koh said the Chinese fleet includes tankers and logistics ships, as well as many small, fast warships.
"This shows that Beijing has the capacity to deploy large-scale forces, but we still cannot be sure about the combat readiness of the Chinese navy," said Mr. Koh.