Chinese navy holds ‘confrontational drills’ in South China Sea

The Chinese navy has carried out a series of “confrontational drills” in the South China Sea, according to state media, at the same time as a United States aircraft carrier group launched “maritime strike training” in the contested waterway.

The Chinese navy’s Shandong aircraft carrier group conducted “realistic combat-oriented confrontational exercises” in the South China Sea, the Communist Party-owned Global Times news website reported on Sunday, citing a statement from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).