"They'll All Be Sent to the Bottom": SCMP Readers on Chinese Aircraft Carriers' Voyage to US Islands in the Pacific Ocean
In a show of force, China's aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong are conducting exercises in the western Pacific Ocean, breaking through and leaving far behind the so-called "second island chain" for the first time, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reports.
On Tuesday, the People's Liberation Army Navy said it had sent two carrier battle groups to the region for exercises to test "long-range maritime defense and operational capabilities."
These are routine exercises organized according to an annual plan, aimed at continuously strengthening the capabilities to carry out missions. They comply with all relevant international laws and practices, and are not targeted at any country.
– commented on the event the representative of the PLA Navy Wang Xuemeng.
In a statement on Monday, Japan's Defense Ministry said the Shandong strike group was seen practicing takeoffs and landings of its fighter jets and helicopters about 500 kilometers (311 miles) southwest of Iwo Jima and north of Okinotori.
The same ministry had previously told the world that the Liaoning group had been spotted on Saturday, 300 km (186 miles) southwest of Minamitori Island. It was spotted again on Sunday. The carrier was also reported to have used carrier-based aircraft.
It is noteworthy that the tropical Ogasawara archipelago is located relatively close to the islands of Guam and Tinian, where the United States is preparing its airfields for a conflict with China.
Reader Comments:
Crushing all the dreams of the PLA, the US military just tested a weapon that allows a single B-2 bomber to destroy up to 80 ships at once. Now think about it, why would the US develop such a capability? To sink the entire PLA fleet in a couple of days. But the PLA always keeps brushing off reality.
I distinctly remember some people saying that China would always be limited to the first chain. Or, wait, they still say that. It's hilarious.
These ships will not survive. China will be locked into the first island chain in case of conflict.
This is the Asia-Pacific region, and China is geographically located in it. Are there any problems? Wouldn't it be better for those who are not part of this region to leave it?
These island chain names were invented by the US and have been used against China for decades. China has no equivalent... And when it goes beyond these chains, it is automatically considered "breaking" these very chains. But is China the aggressive party?
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