Chinese aircraft carrier and 4 warships threaten Guam as strike force sails near US territory in drill encircling Taiwan
A CHINESE aircraft carrier and four warships have threatened Guam as the strike force sailed near the US territory in a drill encircling Taiwan.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s naval flotilla was spotted by Japanese forces as the fleet came within 400 miles of the Western Pacific nation last week.
The large group of warships were discovered by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force, who sounded the alarm.
According to a statement released by the Ministry of Defence, six Chinese naval ships came dangerously close in the highly contested waters.
The main aircraft carrier among the fleet, the Shandong, was reportedly conducting intensive drills beyond the first island chain after completing an encirclement of Taiwan last week.
During the latter half of the exercise it is believed the Shandong headed further east and reached waters about 372 miles to the west of Guam.
The militarised island is used by the US as a key node in the second island chain and is strategically important for monitoring hostilities in the Pacific Ocean and the neighbouring South China Sea.
Beijing has carried numerous drills around Taiwan, which are said to be aimed at sealing off the self-governing island, which China regards as part of its territory.
China’s President Xi Jinping has vowed to take the islands by force if necessary and his forces have been carrying out ever more regular invasion rehearsals.
Their brazen acts have been counterbalanced by US forces who have also paraded their naval might in the same waters.
However, the Shandong’s latest exercise has showed its high level of operational capability, experts claimed.
A naval analyst, who remained anonymous, told the Global Times the regions in which Chinese carriers have trained in are vital to safeguarding country’s national sovereignty.
And from waters between the island of Taiwan and Guam, the PLA Navy can surround “Taiwan independence” forces from the east giving them nowhere to hide or run, it was reported.
The expert also claimed it denied external military interference attempts by foreign forces like the US and Japan.
According to the Japanese MoD statement, the PLA fleet was spotted as they sailed in the Pacific waters between April 10 and April 16.
Japan began monitoring the Shandong’s movements since April 7 when it first entered the West Pacific from the Bashi Channel.
However, in the six-day period, a government official claimed the carrier hosted 210 aircraft drills that consisted of both fighter jet and helicopter missions.
The excessive figure illustrated the drills were more intensive than those previously carried out by other carrier, experts claimed.
Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, said the large number of drills indicated the aircraft carrier had reached full operational capability.
The last time a carrier hosted drills of that extent was when the Liaoning was in the same region from late December 2022 to early January this year.
About 320 aircraft missions were conducted from the Liaoning in 15 days, which set a Chinese PLA naval record.
The Japanese claims that the Shandong operated in waters near Taiwan are in line with official Chinese PLA announcements that the carrier took part in combat alert patrols called “Joint Sword” during similar dates.
