BEIJING – China’s air force has landed bombers on islands and reefs in theSouth China Sea as part of a training exercise in the disputed region, itsaid in a statement.
“A division of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) recentlyorganized multiple bombers such as the H-6K to conduct take-off and landingtraining on islands and reefs in the South China Sea in order to improveour ability to ‘reach all territory, conduct strikes at any time and strikein all directions’,” it said in the statement issued on Friday.
It said the pilot of the H-6K bomber conducted assault training on adesignated sea target and then carried out take-offs and landings at anairport in the area, describing the exercise as preparation for “the WestPacific and the battle for the South China Sea”.
The notice, published on the PLAAF’s Weibo microblogging account, did notprovide the precise location of the exercise.
The United States has dispatched warships to disputed areas of the SouthChina Sea in a bid to challenge China’s extensive sovereignty claims in theterritory, which is subject to various claims by China, Vietnam, thePhilippines, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia.
“The United States remains committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific,”Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Logan told Reuters.
“We have seen these same reports and China’s continued militarization ofdisputed features in the South China Sea only serves to raise tensions anddestabilize the region.” – Agencies