China air force drills in South China Sea, Western Pacific

China’s air force has held another round of drills in the

South China Sea and the Western Pacific after passing though Japan’s southern islands, the air force said on Sunday, calling such exercises the best preparation for war.

FILE PHOTO: Chinese structures are pictured in Subi Reef in disputed South China Sea, April 21, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

In a statement, the air force said H-6K bombers and Su-30 and Su-35 fighters, among other aircraft, carried out combat patrols over the South China Sea and exercises in the Western Pacific after passing over the Miyako Strait.

It did not say when the exercises took place nor specify the parts of the South China Sea or the Western Pacific.

Sending Su-35 fighters over the South China Sea aims to help increase the air force’s ability to fight far out at sea, the air force said in the statement on its microblog.

Flying across the Miyako Strait, accorded with international law and practice, it added.

“Air Force exercises are rehearsals for future wars and are the most direct preparation for combat,” it said.

The more exercises China practices far from its shores the better it will be positioned as “an important force for managing and controlling crises, containing war and winning battles”, it added.

(REUTERS)