Two Chinese aircraft carriers were spotted conducting simultaneous operations in the western Pacific for the first time, Japan’s defence ministry said.
The aircraft carrier Shandong was seen sailing into the Pacific at the weekend and identified on Monday conducting fighter jet and helicopter take-off and landing training, according to Japan’s Joint Staff Office. That was occurring inside the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around the Japanese atoll of Okinotori, around 1,740km south of Tokyo, the office said.
On Saturday, the carrier Liaoning was seen inside the EEZ of the uninhabited Japanese island of Minamitori, more than 1,800km southeast of Tokyo, and remained in the region with other warships on Sunday, the Joint Staff Office said earlier, according to Bloomberg.
