'Ready For The Battle': PLA Shows It Means Business With Ramped Up Military Drills In East China Sea

Amid rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has announced that it was intensifying "realistic combat" exercises in the East China Sea.

A social media post by the PLA Eastern Theatre Command on Tuesday revealed the details of a recent navy strike group drill, adding that the exercises were "closely related to its missions and tasks, focused on combat enemies and highlighted actual combat conditions."

"This training … helped the troops to further improve their capability and toughness in combat to win battles," the command said. "East China Sea sailors are always ready for battle."

Though the command did not specify the time and location of the training, it revealed over 10 kinds of drills, such as close-in gun defense, main gun attack on the sea, tracking and surveillance, damage control, and search and rescue operations.

The warships that take part in the drill include the Type 054 frigate the Wenzhou, and a Type 056 corvette, the Deyang.

China, which uses such drills to showcase its military might, has been conducting military exercises in the region ever since the visit to the island by a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers.

The visit had angered China so much that right after the visit, the PLA held "high-intensity, full-load training" exercises involving Deyang and a frigate. According to Eastern Theatre Command spokesman Shi Yi, that drill was a "warning against the false signals sent out by the U.S. on the Taiwan issue." That military exercise also saw China sending frigates, bombers and fighter planes to the East China Sea and the area around Taiwan.

The latest drill comes as a mammoth fleet led by China's aircraft carrier Liaoning was reported to be heading to the Western Pacific. According to Chinese navy spokesman Gao Xiucheng, the warships were on a routine training mission. "It is in line with relevant international laws and practices, and without targeting any party," Gao said Tuesday. The carrier is currently not too far away from the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, which is deployed in the Philippine Sea.

As per the latest reports, the carrier and six accompanying navy warships are conducting military training with fighter jets and helicopters in the Western Pacific Ocean. Reports added that the exercises had taken place about 160 kilometers southwest of Okidaito Island.