TOKYO (Kyodo) — Two Chinese aircraft carriers spotted in the Pacific around the past week have been seen conducting a total of 520 landing and takeoff drills of their fighter jets and helicopters, the Japanese Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
The activities of the Liaoning and Shandong have been closely monitored, with Japan announcing on June 9 that it had confirmed for the first time two Chinese aircraft carriers simultaneously operating in the Pacific.
“They are aiming to beef up their abilities to execute operations in distant waters,” a ministry official said.
According to the ministry, 290 landings and takeoffs were seen from the Liaoning between June 8 and Monday as the carrier moved southwest from an area about 650 kilometers away from Iwoto Island. Iwoto is located around 1,250 km south of Tokyo.
About 230 landings and takeoffs were observed from the Shandong between June 9 and Monday as the carrier sailed in waters around Okinotori Island, some 1,700 km south of Tokyo and Japan’s southernmost point.
The Japanese government has lodged a protest with China as a J-15 warplane from the Shandong flew dangerously close to a Japanese Self-Defense Force patrol plane over the high seas in the Pacific on June 7 and 8.
The Liaoning, meanwhile, became the first Chinese aircraft carrier to sail beyond a strategic line of defense known as the “second island chain,” stretching from Japan’s Izu Islands to Guam. It is located east of the “first island chain” that stretches from the Japanese archipelago through Taiwan to the Philippines.
520 landings, takeoffs seen from 2 Chinese carriers in Pacific: Japan
