Chinese navy holds drills in Sea of Japan

PanARMENIAN.Net - China's navy has carried out drills in the Sea of Japan, the Chinese military's official newspaper said on Friday, August 19, describing the exercises as routine and done in accordance with international law and practice, Reuters reports.

The Chinese navy has increasingly been exercising in waters far from home as it seeks to hone its operational abilities. Last year, five Chinese ships carried out exercises in international waters in the Bering Sea off Alaska.

The People's Liberation Army Daily did not say exactly where the latest drills took place, describing it only as a "certain part of the Sea of Japan".

Drill commander Xu Haihua said the exercises were part of routine annual atrrangements and were meant to help improve the fleet's ability to fight far out at sea.

The paper said some of the ships involved were on their way back from the U.S.-hosted Rim of the Pacific exercise, or RIMPAC, held in Hawaii.

"Exercises far out at sea in international waters are commonly done by navies of the world, and this year our navy has many times organized fleets to carry out exercises far out in the Western Pacific," the newspaper said, according to Reuters.

The Sea of Japan is a strategic waterway bordered by Japan, Russia, South Korea and North Korea.