The Chinese military seeks to ‘improve its operational capabilities in distant seas and airspace,’ the Japanese defense minister says.
Japan has confirmed that two Chinese aircraft carriers are simultaneously carrying out operations in the Pacific for the first time, a move that Tokyo interprets as an indication of Beijing’s plans to further extend its military reach beyond its borders.
Shandong, China’s domestically built aircraft carrier, and four naval vessels sailed into the waters southwest of Japan’s Miyakojima island on June 7, Tokyo’s Joint Staff Office said in a June 9 statement on its website.
