Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong spotted near Philippines amid tensions

The photo shows an aircraft carrier Shandong docks in a naval port in Sanya. China's first domestically-made aircraft carrier Shanghai (Hull 17) was officially commissioned by the PLA Navy at a military port in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, on the afternoon of December 17, 2019, making China one of the few countries in the world to have several aircraft carriers. Photo: Chinese military

The Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong was recently spotted sailing near the Philippines, which media reports say serves as a deterrent against continued Philippine provocations over Chinese islands and reefs in the South China Sea.

The carrier will likely participate in a scheduled exercise that could also prepare it for a deep-sea voyage in the western Pacific, experts said Sunday.

Citing commercial satellite images, Hong Kong newspaper Singtao Daily and media on the island of Taiwan reported Saturday that the aircraft carrier Shandong Members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy recently arrived in waters about 200 nautical miles off the Philippine island of Luzon.

As tensions persist between China and the Philippines over islands and reefs in the South China Sea, China's first deployment of an aircraft carrier in waters near the Philippines aims to deter, according to the media.

Previous media reports suggest that the PLA has already dispatched major surface combatant ships, including Type 055 large destroyers and Type 052D destroyers, as well as main amphibious ships such as an amphibious assault ship Type 075 and a Type 071 amphibious landing ship in the South China Sea. .

It is completely normal that the aircraft carrier Shandong is conducting training exercises in the South China Sea because only through training can the aircraft carrier gain combat capabilities, Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on Sunday.

For the Philippines, which has carried out abusive provocations, these forces will naturally become a deterrent as the Chinese military will resolutely defend China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, Zhang said.

According to media reports, the aircraft carrier ShanghaiChina's main mission is probably not the Philippines, but an offshore voyage beyond the first island chain in the western Pacific, because China does not need to deploy an aircraft carrier in the middle persistent tensions with the Philippines.

Another Chinese military expert, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Sunday that the aircraft carrier Shandong conducted several deep-sea exercises beyond the first island chain last year, so it is likely that it will hold similar exercises this year as well.

It is normal for it to carry out preparation training in the South China Sea before sailing to more distant waters, the expert said.