Posted on 11/04/2010 2:34:18 PM PDT by kronos77
The Marine Corps of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) staged a military drill in the disputed South China Sea Tuesday as representatives from more than 40 countries observed, the China News Service reported.
The Marine Corps' annual war games included amphibious combat military exercises during drill codenamed Jiaolong-2010. Some 1,800 naval forces and at least 100 warships, submarines and combat aircrafts took part in yesterday's live-fire exercises.
More than 200 military students from 40 countries and regions observed the exercises that included assault drills. They discussed the exercises with commanding officers.
The officer responsible for the drills said the war games were intended to showcase a modern Chinese Marine Corps to the world and it was also a way to learn from China's counterparts in other countries.
"This is basically a routine military exercise but it is also based on the current combat situation in the South China Sea," Li Jie, a Beijing-based naval expert, told the Global Times yesterday.
Analysts said that the show of military capability highlights China's concerns in the area, the site of previous disputes with other nations.
"It was not a special signal, but we chose that theater to show our naval capacity and strength," Li said. "Some countries intervene in the South China Sea in recent years, jointly conducting military exercises with our neighboring countries, so it's time for us to oppose these intervention with power politics," he said.
“The officer responsible for the drills said the war games were intended to showcase a modern Chinese Marine Corps to the world and it was also a way to learn from China’s counterparts in other countries. “
That and because they are also interested in visiting India.
Gung ho!
Pretty ironic, if you ask me.
Strange timeing.
Were there any Marionettes in that drill?
This was done likely in response to the U.S Carrier military exercises with Vietnam a couple of months ago.
China’s defenses in the South China Sea is not nearly as strong as it’s capabilities in the Yellow and East China Seas. Basically this is one of the few places along China’s periphery where a USN Carrier battle group can operate in wartime with a high chance of survival.
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