Rear Admiral: PLA capable of warfare in 2 seas

PLA Air Force H-6K bomber is reported to be frequently flying to the western Pacific for exercises. (File photo/ China.org.cn)

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force is now capable of responding to warfare in two different bodies of waters at the same time, as shown by its latest drill, said military expert Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo.

The Chinese Air Force made an unprecedented move to send military aircraft over the Bashi Strait and the Miyako Strait ? at the same time ? for a routine drill in the western Pacific on Nov. 25.

Yin said that the synchronized flights over two straits means that the PLA Air Force is capable of combating in two seas at the same time.

Bashi Strait is the water channel in the South China Sea that separates Taiwan from the Philippines, and the Miyako Strait is the waterway which lies between Miyako Island and Okinawa in the East China Sea.

"Flying over two straits at the same time is indeed a serious challenge for the PLA Air Force," said Yin, explaining that the Bashi Strait is up to 1,000 kilometers away from the closest Chinese airport and the flight could encounter complicated weather and maritime conditions. "Even if warfare breaks out in the East China Sea and the South China Sea at the same time, the PLA Air Force is still capable of responding."

Media reports show that PLA Air Force had earlier conducted seven drills in the western Pacific but that simultaneous flights over two straits were unseen before.

Air Force Senior Colonel Shen Jinke, spokesperson for the PLA Air Force, said on Nov. 26 that the PLA Air Force accomplished its anticipated goals in the drill, saying that the Air Force will continue to conduct drills in remote waters.

He added that PLA Air Force should raise and maintain a "strategic capability in accordance with China's national interest."