Specifically, according to an announcement from the Southern Theater Command of the Chinese military, the destroyer Dalian and the guided missile destroyer Huangshan entered an unspecified area in the Western Pacific "not long ago" and conducted offensive and defensive drills.
A helicopter takes off from China's Shandong aircraft carrier, in the Pacific Ocean on April 15.
JAPAN MINISTRY OF DEFENSE STAFF OFFICE
The announcement said that the drills in unfamiliar and complex waters will help China explore the effectiveness of new equipment, as well as how to apply new combat methods in practice.
The exercise took place shortly after an aircraft carrier group led by the Shandong returned home after patrolling around Taiwan and entered the Western Pacific.
In March, China's first domestically built amphibious assault ship, the "Hainan", completed a distant-sea drill with a destroyer, a frigate and a supply ship. It was the group's first joint far-sea drill after a 30-day trip to the South China Sea and the Western Pacific, according to the Global Times.
Chinese ballistic missile submarine begins permanent patrol
Still, despite China's military expansion, it could be more than a decade before its aircraft carriers can pose a threat in distant waters, according to defense analysts.
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