China's two carrier strike groups return to homeports

The carrier groups of the Liaoning and Shandong conduct far-sea combat training in recent days. The photo shows the groups carrying out an at-sea replenishment. (Photo by Wang Jian / for China Daily)

China's two carrier strike groups have recently returned to their home ports after a series of training operations and exercises in the Western Pacific, according to the People's Liberation Army Navy.

The Navy said in a news release on Monday afternoon that the two strike groups, led by the CNS Liaoning and CNS Shandong aircraft carriers, carried out "realistic and systemic" combat training and cooperated with other PLA branches to conduct mock battles.

Units involved in the exercises performed early-warning, reconnaissance, air and missile defense, fighter deployments, assaults against sea targets and other maneuvers, the release said.

During the dual-carrier mission, the strike groups explored and verified their tactics and also honed their crews' skills, effectively improving the flotillas' combat capabilities, it stated.

According to the Navy, during the training session, the Chinese vessels had several encounters with foreign warships and aircraft that conducted close-in reconnaissance and surveillance. The groups maintained high alert and were always ready to respond to possible threats. They mobilized carrier-based fighters to establish security perimeters, handling various scenarios professionally and effectively.

The exercise was the second time that both of the Navy's carrier strike groups participated in an operation together. The first time was in October, when they conducted a joint combat exercise in the South China Sea.

Senior Captain Wang Xuemeng, a spokesman for the Navy, said on June 10 in Beijing that the strike groups' operations were "a part of routine training arrangements set by our annual work plan, and is intended for improving our units' ability to fulfill their duties. It is in line with the international law and common practice by other navies, and is not targeted at any specific nation or objective".

Currently, the Navy operates two aircraft carriers — the CNS Liaoning and the CNS Shandong. Both have a standard displacement of around 50,000 metric tons and a conventional propulsion system, and they use a ski jump system to launch their J-15 fighter jets.

The country has built a third aircraft carrier — the CNS Fujian, which is the largest and mightiest warship any Asian nation has ever built. It is also the world's largest non-American aircraft carrier.