China’s only aircraft carrier in service, the Liaoning, is now in the South China Sea for a six-day drill that began on Thursday, state papers have confirmed.
Reuters has also reported that the Liaoning strike group has sailed into waters close to the southern province of Hainan, flanked by 40 other warships and submarines, as seen in a satellite image.
Observers believe these vessels may be from the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s three major fleets, as Beijing wants a variety of vessels from different naval command regions to sail with the Liaoning to hone their inter-fleet interoperability.
Yet it appears that the Chinese carrier has no intention of strutting its stuff in waters troubled by territorial disputes. Chinese papers say the exercise is meant to address the slew of flaws and deficiencies that have been exposed in the years since the inauguration of the ship, which began its PLA Navy service as a refurbished Soviet hull.
Global Times has also noted that to attain a genuine blue-water-navy stature, the PLA’s maritime force still has a lot of catching up to do. One aspect is the evolution from a mixed-combat model to a carrier-oriented one to cope with more missions and voyages in the high seas.
Beijing adopted a dovish tone when the US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, nicknamed “the Big Stick,” arrived in Singapore for a scheduled port visit and R&R this week, and the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered carrier’s strike group has joined forces with warships from allies while en route to the center of the South China Sea.
The strike group includes the guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill and guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson, according to Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper.
Meanwhile, the European Union’s head of security policy, Francois Rivasseau, told The Australian Financial Review that the possibility of European navies conducting “freedom of navigation” patrols in the South China Sea could not be ruled out in the future.
The US, Japan, Australia and India are promoting cooperation through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, and Britain is reportedly considering sending a warship to the region as well.
Still, a China-US carrier-to-carrier face-off in the South China Sea is highly unlikely given the obvious disparity in capabilities.
Analysts outside China now have a clearer understanding of the Liaoning, after years of observation and a close-up look at the carrier when it was docked in Hong Kong last July.
The consensus appears to be that the Liaoning is more like “a big toy” for symbolic deterrence, a training carrier with deficiencies resulting from its design and retrofit, as well as the Chinese navy’s inexperience in marshaling a modern sea-going strike group, even though PLA generals and sailors are quick learners.
Meanwhile a separate report appeared in the PLA Daily on Thursday saying that the current drill was meant to test “new navigation and communication systems as well as new planes” mounted on the carrier, without providing further details of the new installations.
A commentary that appeared in on the website of China News Service said the focus of the latest Liaoning deployment should be on its fleet of new shipborne fighters, as the J-15, a copycat of the antiquated Soviet-designed Sukhoi Su-33, is a non-starter in wrestling air superiority against the short-takeoff and vertical-landing variant of America’s stealthy F-35s.
People’s Daily revealed earlier this year that the J-31, a twin-engine, mid-size fifth-generation jet fighter, was nearing introduction, with more trials scheduled this year.
“The J-31 can pair up with J-15s and J-20s in the future in tasks of both high and low altitudes, both onshore and offshore,” that report said.
Stupid pathetic American just ask your exceptional daffy Donald duck to go to war with China if dare not just shut up stupid cowards
USA trying to fight of increasing Asian economic dominance through war mongering. War has been heir biggest business since Cold War and their lapdogs U.K. are no different. If China sells off their stock if US currency and force their own currency for mutual trade with other trad partners, US economy will not recover. Once Kra canal is complete Singapore might be bypassed due to economic hostility and they’ll be well served to recognize the importance of China over the US for their sustenance
Nawaponrath Asavathanachart kicking dictators asses.
Jason Jean Show us the link to that information!
Let’s put it this way. IF YOU ARE NOT CURRENTLY in the military service, and have secret clearance, you information is old and inaccurate! Especially, if you are from a University that teaches information and technology that is decades old or from CNN. Please stop your ranting unless you are part of the military or some high level government official. In this case, your information is useless.
I read the china Navy was using laser and electro magnetic forces of ninja power to conceal it s visibility
Then they need to rein in their government and make sure it desn’t get them dragged into a war.
Nawaponrath Asavathanachart Actually the aircraft that is overhyped and which we only have Chinese propaganda to rely on is the J-15. Not combat proven and has only proven good for photo ops. Besides, being Chinese it will not operate after a week or so in the field.
well, just wait for the Philippines’ jet skis fleet and you’ll know who’s superior not only in South China Sea but in the whole Solar System as well….. ????????????
Cynthia Diaz hahahaha! You got that right. 😀
right now … syria feeling the love US missles striking their poison gas bases that they use on innocent people.
Proves that Chinese navy is still far from its true capabilities they are trying to portray. Again, they are not as powerful as they want the world to know. They are people of copy cats. Its budhet of $120 billion is used to refurbish some assts.
Nawaponrath Asavathanachart you can sail too if you want.. But 12 nm away of any country. Dont go any closer coz you will violate territorial sovereignty of a country. Gets?..
God bless America to destroy sovereign countries? Your brain not function very well…
Nawaponrath Asavathanachart freedom of navigation in international waters ????
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!
Judging a non-combat tested aircraft against a combat tested one is sheer ignorance. Besides if made in china it won’t last beyond the time required to remove the packaging.
Nawaponrath Asavathanachart, your Asian cultural chippiness vis a vis the West is beginning to show.
it will be very obvious that an old junk russian toy cannot match the u s aircraft carrier. good that liaoning didn’t go near the u s vessels. they might capsize trailing the wake of the other group. the consequence will be laughable. as to the claim that the chinks have these super hi-tech weapons? ha..ha.. all they can produce and are visible are clear copycats and stolen technologies. wondering if they have even the imagination to think of these things.
Mach 10 to 20 wow. These missles are becoming the big fish story of the century. By next week people will be bragging about how they can travel just shy of the speed of light. When the one russia is claiming as the fastest is now a paultry slow mach 7. Even though all of this is just hearsay since there is yet to be any field data backing up the claims yet.