In the wake of the announcement of a $1 billion sanctions program targeting North Korea’s coal, lead and iron exports, Beijing is staging almost a dozen military exercises in the Yellow Sea.
The navy drills surely send a signal that the Chinese “will be effective in any conflict if war is to break out,” Malcolm Davis of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute told the South China Morning Post.
However the message isn’t intended for Pyongyang alone, Collin Koh of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University says. “States do this because they want to send a signal … it’s not just targeted at North Korea,” Koh said.
China’s naval strength is increasing significantly. Last week, the Chinese added yet another monster ship to their fleet, which the Royal United Service Institute’s Peter Roberts has described as growing at a pace that seems to be unequalled "in any navy across history."
The drills will include live-fire testing, offensive and defensive mobilization rehearsals, and the integration of efforts by surface vessels, submarines and aircraft. “Dozens of types of missiles” will also be launched during more than 10 tests, SCMP noted.
The People’s Liberation Army Navy’s Shen Jinlong and other top Chinese military officials will oversee the four-day battle simulations, state media reported. It’s unclear when the exercises will start.