China begins 'live action drill' in South China Sea

The showcasing of the maritime combat capabilities is being conducted before the representatives of 40 countries.

100 naval warships, submarines and Marine Corps of Chinese People's Liberation Army
(PLA) staged the drill in the disputed South China. The Marine Corps' annual war games included amphibious combat military exercises during drill codenamed Jiaolong-2010. Some 1,800 naval forces and at least 100 warships, submarines and combat aircrafts took part in yesterday's live-fire exercises.

More than 200 military students from 40 countries and regions observed the exercises that included assault drills. They discussed the exercises with commanding officers, the report said.

The officer responsible for the drills said the war games were intended to showcase a modern Chinese Marine Corps to the world and it was also a way to learn from China's counterparts in other countries.

"This is basically a routine military exercise but it is also based on the current combat situation in the South China Sea," Li Jie, a Beijing-based naval expert, told the official Daily Global Times.

Analysts said that the show of military capability highlights China's concerns in the area, the site of previous disputes with other nations. "It was not a special signal, but we chose that theater to show our naval capacity and strength," Li said. "Some countries intervene in the South China Sea in recent years, jointly conducting military exercises with our neighbouring countries, so it's time for us to oppose these intervention with power politics," he said.

The exercises and stern comments from the official analysts came as China stoutly opposed proactive US policy in the recent months siding with Japan and other South East Asian countries having disputes with China over islands in South China Sea and the surroundings calling for just settlement.

While row over the disputed Diaoyu islands with Japan escalated since September this after the Japanese vessels detained a Chinese fishing trawler skipper, leaders of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan held a summit meeting with US President, Barrack Obama in September seeking proactive American role to settle their dispute with China over 250 small islands and atolls in the South China Sea, believed to be rich with oil, gas and minerals.

Yesterday China dismissed as "wishful thinking" a US proposal to host trilateral talks to help China-Japan to settle their dispute over the uninhabited Diaoyu islands which are also called Senkaku island by Japan.

Similarly China conveyed its staunch opposition to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her meeting with Chinese top official, Dai Bingguo few days ago. China seas it as an attempt by US to pit it against the Pacific Ocean countries which are uniting under the American umbrella.