China's Aircraft Carrier Liaoning Conducts Pacific Training... Quad Summit Show of Force

Regularization Concerns Over Aircraft Carrier Pacific Drills Amid 4th Generation Destroyer Firepower Display
Escort by Type 055, 052D, 052C, 054A Frigates and Type 901 Supply Ship

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] As U.S. President Joe Biden prepares to visit South Korea and Japan, China's aircraft carrier Liaoning has begun training in the Pacific Ocean. This is the first Pacific training for the Liaoning this year.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The Chinese Navy announced on the 4th that the Liaoning is moving to the Pacific for live-fire exercises, and that this training complies with international law. The Chinese Navy added that this training was a regular exercise originally scheduled.

The Liaoning reportedly passed through the Miyako Strait near Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, on the 1st, then turned southward to exit into the Pacific Ocean.

Regarding the Liaoning's live-fire training in the Pacific, some in China are analyzing whether carrier training in the Pacific is becoming more elite. In December last year, China moved the Liaoning and Shandong carriers to the Pacific to conduct shuttle takeoff and landing training for carrier-based aircraft. At that time, the two carriers conducted training in the Pacific rather than in waters near China, which was seen as an expansion of their operational range.

Chinese media are placing more emphasis on the Nanchang, a 4th-generation destroyer, than on the Liaoning in relation to this training. Commissioned in January 2020, the Nanchang has a full load displacement of 12,000 tons, a length of 180 meters, and a beam of 20 meters, making it larger than the U.S. Navy's Ticonderoga-class cruisers. The Nanchang is armed with a vertical launch system (VLS) at its core, equipped with fleet air defense missiles, anti-ship missiles, anti-submarine missiles, cruise missiles, naval guns, and close-in weapon systems (CIWS). It is also reported to have a four-sided fixed phased array radar and electronically scanned array radar similar to those on Aegis ships. In terms of scale, the Nanchang possesses firepower comparable to a cruiser.

The Global Times explained that the Nanchang, the first Type 055 destroyer, has been incorporated into the Liaoning fleet and will escort the Liaoning through reconnaissance and surveillance operations such as early warning, as well as through various weapons. It also mentioned that the Nanchang can conduct command and coordination operations depending on the situation.

Chinese military expert Song Zhongping stated, "A regular formation escorting the Liaoning includes one Type 055 destroyer, two Type 052D destroyers, one Type 052C destroyer, one Type 054A frigate, and one Type 901 supply ship," adding, "The Liaoning now has much higher maritime combat capabilities than before."

The Global Times reported that the Liaoning's live-fire training in the Pacific is likely to provoke surveillance by the U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and that the Chinese Navy and Liaoning fleet must respond accordingly.

Some in China are also analyzing that the Liaoning's show of force in the Pacific may be intended with the Quad (a consultative group of the U.S., Australia, India, and Japan) summit in mind. President Biden will visit South Korea and Japan sequentially from the 20th to the 24th. The Quad summit is also included in Biden's schedule in Japan.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.