[Asia Economy Reporter Bu Aeri] On the 1st, the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning task force passed between Okinawa Main Island and Miyakojima in the Pacific Ocean and entered the East China Sea.
According to Kyodo News on the 2nd, the Japanese Ministry of Defense Joint Staff Office stated that the Liaoning task force appears to have returned after more than two weeks of long-term training in the Pacific Ocean.
The Liaoning task force conducted training in the Pacific Ocean after passing between Okinawa Main Island and Miyakojima on the 16th of last month, when the Japanese government confirmed possession of "counterattack capability" to strike enemy bases through revisions to three major security documents.
Since the 17th of last month, Liaoning's carrier-based fighter jets and helicopters have conducted a total of over 320 sortie training exercises.
This carrier task force sailed southward into the Western Pacific from the 23rd to the 25th of last month, reaching near Guam, a U.S. military base in the Western Pacific.
When the Liaoning conducted training around Okinawa, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force escort ships monitored it, and Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets scrambled in response.
One of the Chinese military's most advanced reconnaissance drones, the Wuzhen-7, also flew between Okinawa Main Island and Miyakojima for the first time the day before.
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