BEIJING – China says it has sent its Russian-made Sukhoi Su-35 advancedfighter jets for training under “real combat” conditions in the South ChinaSea, a potential show of force against the controversial presence of theUnited States military in the disputed region.
According to a strongly-worded statement released by the China’s People’sLiberation Army (PLA) on Wednesday, the military drill was a “pragmaticaction” aimed at fulfilling “its mission in the new era.”
The statement further said that the training was expected to boost pilots’capabilities “under long-distance or high-sea conditions,” but did notindicate the exact number of fighter jets that took part in the exercise.
The jets are dubbed in China “the killer in the sky” for beinghighly-maneuverable and equipped with phased array radar and steerablethrusters.
China and Russia inked a deal for the shipment of 24 Su-35 aircraft for asum of two billion dollars in November 2015. The first batch, comprising offour jets, was reportedly delivered in late 2016 while another 10 aircraftwere handed over in late 2017. The remaining 10 warplanes are reportedlyto be delivered in 2018.
‘Military drill in response to US’
According to Xu Guangyu, a retired PLA general and senior adviser at theChina Arms Control and Disarmament Association, the air force drill waslaunched in response to “provocation by the US,” an apparent reference toan incident in which US Navy missile destroyer USS Hopper came too closeto a South China Sea island — disputed between China and the Philippines —on January 17.
On January 20, the Chinese Foreign Ministry, while reporting the date ofthe incident, strongly denounced the US move and vowed to take “necessarymeasures” to protect China’s sovereignty.link>
Xu added that the military exercise further meant to show that the“China-Russia military cooperation is solid, mutually benefiting andreliable.”
China is involved in territorial disputes in the South China Sea, whereseveral countries, including Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, and thePhilippines, have overlapping claims. The US, which is an extra-regionalcountry, has been taking the side of China’s rival claimants in theregional disputes.
Washington has so far sent several of its warships to the South China Seato protect what it calls “freedom of navigation” there, but Beijing oftenaccuses Washington of interfering in regional issues and deliberatelystirring up tensions.