North Korea missile test: China fires ‘warning shot’

CHINA has staged a series of naval drills off the Korean Peninsula in what some are claiming is a clear warning shot to Pyongyang and Washington.

Chinese navy vessels regularly take part in drills designed to strengthen and test is military capabilities. Picture: AP

CHINA has staged a series of naval drills off the Korean Peninsula in what some are claiming doubles as a warning to Pyongyang and Washington.

The drills, which come less than two weeks after North Korea launched its second intercontinental ballistic missile test, include live-fire exercises, state media reported.

The exercises, which began yesterday, involve dozens of ships and submarines as well as at least 10 aircraft and coastal troops in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea.

The drills include both offensive and defensive manoeuvres with the People’s Liberation Army also taking part, Xinhua News agency reported.

But experts claim the exercises are designed to send a very clear message — and it’s not just to Kim Jon-un.

Malcolm Davis, a Chinese defence specialist at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told the South China Morning Post the exercises could be more than just a show of military might.

“(The Chinese) could be sending a message to the North Koreans that they will be effective in any conflict if war is to break out,” he said.

Kim Jong-un’s nuclear program has alarmed many in and around the Korean Peninsula. Picture: Wong Maye-E/AP

But Collin Koh, a maritime security expert at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, told the SCMP, it served another purpose and was intending to deter a breakout of conflict.

Taking place in the waters between the coast of Qingdao in Shandong province and Lianyungang in Jiangsu province, the drills are designed to test the tactical, combat and weapons training of China’s naval forces.

The exercise is the second such display in just two weeks.

Beijing is a key player in the region and having a stable Korean Peninsula remains vital.

Just last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on all parties to avoid taking “any actions that will lead to an escalation in tensions”.

It also comes as the US flew two supersonic bombers over the Korean Peninsula in a show of force against North Korea.

In response China launched a display of military might with tens of thousands of Chinese troops marching alongside tanks and nuclear weapons.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said the event was designed to show that China has the “confidence and capability” to rise into a world power as the country celebrated the 90th anniversary of its military.

Chinese President Xi Jinping stands on a military jeep as he inspects troops of the People’s Liberation Army during a military parade to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the PLA last week. Picture: Li Gang/Xinhua/AP

China has been engaged in a modernisation of its once-backward armed forces for some time seeking military clout comparable with its economic might.

Beijing has made major investments in building up its capabilities, particularly in its navy, where it seeks the ability to project force into the far seas.

But the PLA has not fought a real battle since a war with Vietnam in 1979, and has a questionable mastery of modern military techniques, according to some Western experts.

James Char of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, said the army still “lags behind” those of other major powers.

But he said recent reforms have at least “gradually shifted it away from a purely land-based outfit (more defence-oriented), to one that is more joint and able to project power increasingly further away from Chinese shores”.

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