The Chinese navy has been practicing countering an aerial attack in the South China Sea, state media revealed Friday, just weeks after U.S. bombers angered Beijing by flying over the disputed waters.
China recently carried out a simulated missile attack drill in an unspecified part of the contested South China Sea, the official Chinese military news service introduced Friday, Reuters first reported. The People’s Liberation Army Navy practiced fending off an offensive aerial assault involving three target drone aircraft.
The drills are part of ongoing efforts to strengthen an unidentified base’s ability to respond to real-life combat scenarios in the region.
News of the exercises comes after a U.S. Air Force flyby angered Beijing.
A pair of U.S. B-52 Stratofortress bombers reportedly flew near Chinese man-made islands in the South China Sea earlier in June, U.S. Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) told the Military Times. The B-52s, according to CNN, flew around 20 nautical miles from the disputed Spratly Islands, where China has been increasingly bolstering its military presence to strengthen its questionable claims to the region.
China “won’t be scared by any military ship or aircraft,” said Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying. “We will only even more staunchly all necessary steps to defend the country’s sovereignty and security, to protect the peace and stability of the South China Sea region.” The recent exercises appear to be an effort to follow through on that warning. (RELATED: We ‘Won’t Be Scared’: China Talks Tough After US Bombers Tear Through South China Sea)
Prior to the bomber flyby, Secretary of Defense James Mattis called out China at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where he firmly accused China of “intimidation and coercion” in the South China Sea. He criticized Chinese militarization, which has, as of late, included the deployment of jamming technology, anti-ship cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles and bombers to the area.
“Is it an act of ‘militarization’ to fly offensive strategic weapons like the B-52 bombers to the South China Sea?! Were the B-52 bombers there to safeguard navigation and overflight freedom?! If someone armed to teeth comes to your doorstep every now and then, poking around and showing off muscles, aren’t you justified in sharpening vigilance, taking precautions, and increasing defense capacities?” Chunying said in response.
In her warning on the South China Sea, Hua told the U.S. that “running amuck carries risks.”
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