Chinese Bombers Take to Skies Above South China Sea for ‘High Intensity Training’

The spike in tensions in the strategic waterway comes amid a broader, multi-front rift in China-US ties on issues ranging from Hong Kong and Taiwan to trade, technology transfer and ideological questions.

Xian H-6G and Xian H-6J strategic bombers have staged drills in the South China Sea, with the exercises including nighttime operations, long-range sorties and simulated attack on sea targets, China’s Defence Ministry announced on Thursday.

The drills, described by Defence Ministry spokesperson Col. Ren Guoqiang as “high-intensity training,” were characterized as routine operations aimed at improving naval aviation’s combat readiness. Ren did not specify the drills’ precise location or time.