China's PLA offers details on live-fire Pacific drills led by Type 055 destroyer Zunyi
The
People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China has released details on live-fire drills in the Pacific targeting both aerial and maritime threats, without disclosing the exact area of operation.
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The exercise included coordination and resupply operations, underscoring combat readiness and enhanced joint operational capabilities, the PLA Navy was quoted as saying by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Tuesday.
The report comes days after live-fire PLA Navy drills in the Tasman Sea put
Australia and New Zealand on alert , prompting dozens of commercial flight diversions and naval monitoring by both countries.
According to the CCTV report, the naval task group was led by the Type 055 stealth guided-missile destroyer Zunyi, and included the Type 054A frigate Hengyang and the Type 903 replenishment vessel Weishanhu.
While the report did not provide a specific location or time for the drill, the names of the three vessels match those in reports referring to PLA Navy exercises last week that raised concerns in Canberra and Wellington and triggered a diplomatic row with Beijing.
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It said the exercises spanned several days in challenging sea conditions, and involved training in command execution, weapons operation and coordinated manoeuvres.
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