Amid tensions, China's aircraft carrier conducts fighter drills

Beijing: China’s first aircraft carrier has carried out exercises in the Yellow Sea, amid increasing tensions between Beijing and Washington over Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea.

A naval formation consisting of aircraft carrier Liaoning, several destroyers and frigates was on training and testing missions, last week, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday, quoting military officials.

The activities involved several J-15 carrier-borne jets and helicopters. J-15 is the new fighter jet being developed by China to operate from the deck of the carrier.

On Friday, several J-15s took off from the Liaoning, carrying out assignments, including air refuelling and air confrontation in the Yellow Sea. The training was led by People’s Liberation Army Navy Commander Wu Shengli.

The training “strengthened the synergy among different vessels in the formation and refined its overall capability”, he said.

The training and tests were normal arrangements, in accordance with the annual plan made by the Navy.

Since it was commissioned in 2012, the Liaoning, a refitted vessel acquired from Ukraine, has been carrying out the training and tests steadily. On December 16, the formation conducted its maiden live-fire drills on a massive scale, along with a host of naval ships, aircraft and submarines, in the Bohai Sea, the coastal waters between China and the Korean peninsula.

China is publicising the exercises as it had heated exchanges with US President-elect Donald Trump over the ‘One-China’ policy after his unprecedented phone call with the Taiwanese President.

The exchanges were followed by China seizing a US unmanned underwater vehicle operated by an American survey ship in the disputed South China Sea leading to protests from Washington and criticism from Mr Trump.

China later returned it, saying its Navy found the device and examined it in a professional manner.

Earlier reports said the aircraft carrier would be deployed in the disputed South China Sea when it was ready.

China has become more assertive over the South China Sea after an international tribunal struck down its claim over almost all of the area.

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter-claims over the South China Sea.

Besides Liaoning, China is currently building two more aircraft carriers.