Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning has no role to play in territorial disputes, Beijing says

Ship was en route to Pacific for routine exercise when spotted in East China Sea on Tuesday, state media says

PLA Navy has plenty of other military options to contest maritime conflicts over sovereignty

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China’s state media says it is unlikely aircraft carriers will ever be used to resolve maritime disputes. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:00pm, 12 Jun 2019Updated: 4:18am, 13 Jun 2019

The appearance of a Chinese aircraft carrier in the East China Sea on Tuesday had nothing to do with the country’s territorial disputes in the region but was rather part of a routine training exercise, Beijing said.

The Liaoning, the country’s only fully operational carrier, and several other naval vessels were spotted passing through the Miyako Strait that separates the Japanese islands of Miyako and Okinawa en route to the Pacific Ocean, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.

Beijing said it was a routine mission that had been conducted in accordance with international law, and called on other nations to respect its right of passage.

Xiakedao, a social media account run by the overseas edition of Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily, said in a commentary that the Liaoning had no role to play in sovereignty disputes.

Instead its operations covered the four areas of maritime traffic protection, naval diplomacy, regional deterrence, and humanitarian aid and rescue missions.