China Navy's completes five days Naval exercise near Taiwan island.

According to information published by Global Times on September 19, 2023, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) recently concluded an intensive five-day naval drill near Taiwan.
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Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong. (Picture source: Baidu)

The naval exercise, as reported by Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint Staff, involved the aircraft carrier Shandong and various other PLA Navy warships operating in the West Pacific southeast of Taiwan before proceeding through the Bashi Channel and then returning to the South China Sea. During its operations, the Shandong launched around 40 fighter jet missions and 20 helicopter sorties.

Taiwan's defense authorities had earlier spotted the Shandong group entering the West Pacific via the Bashi Channel. The Japanese press release further detailed that the carrier group included two Type 054A frigates, two Type 052D destroyers, and a Type 901 replenishment ship.

Simultaneously, eight additional PLA Navy warships, comprising Type 052D, Type 052C, and Sovremenny-class destroyers, along with Type 054A frigates, entered the West Pacific from the East China Sea through the Miyako Strait.

Observers suggest this flurry of activity indicates a large-scale PLA military exercise designed to encircle Taiwan from various angles. At the peak of these operations, Taiwanese defense authorities reported 68 PLA aircraft and 10 vessels near Taiwan.

Analysts posit that the combined force from the South China Sea and the East China Sea, totaling 14 vessels, demonstrates a strategic approach, potentially hinting at coordinated combat training or a formation of an exceptionally large carrier group.

Regarding the deployment of the YU-20 tanker aircraft, analysts believe its primary role was to boost the operational range and capabilities of warplanes, particularly the J-15 carrier-borne fighter jets on the Shandong.