Chinese navy flexed its muscle in the disputed South China Sea today as a fleet of four warships conducted drills in waters near South China's Hainan Province.
"The training exercises will be conducted according to requirements of actual combat, with the aim of improving the navy's defence capabilities based on the information system and enhancing its ability to safeguard maritime sovereignty," said Jiang Weilie, commander of the South China Sea fleet before the drills started.
China, which claims sovereignty over the entire South China Sea, have stepped up aggressive patrols in the area to assert its stand in recent months to counter claims by Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia.
However, this drill is a regular arrangement in line with the navy's annual training plan. The PLA Navy conducted seven similar training exercises in 2012.
Four Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy warships -- the Jinggangshan, Lanzhou, Yulin and Hengshui, four ship-borne helicopters and a hovercraft participated in the drills after departing from Sanya yesterday.
The PLA warships staged simulated air and submarine attacks as part of the drill along with command post establishment, operational manoeuvring from the sea and high-sea convoy exercises.
"Air defence and anti-submarine defences are two challenges for warships. Running the drills is a test for both fleet command and emergency management," Chen Yueqi, a navy commander was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Open sea training tests soldiers' ability to operate modern information equipment and adapt to complicated meteorological and hydrological environments, Zhang Hanchuan, a training officer said.
The Jinggangshan is China's most advanced amphibious transport vessel. The Lanzhou and Hengshui have carried out several convoy missions in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters, and the Hengshui is a new type of frigate recently put into service.
