China Flexes It's Naval Forces

Marine Corps drive yacht to the landing ship to begin float ferry loading. (Photo by Tao Dulan/Chinanews.com).

China Stages Naval Exercises -- New York Times

BEIJING — China’s Marine Corps held a major naval exercise on Tuesday in the South China Sea, state-run media reported on Wednesday, massing 1,800 troops and more than 100 ships, submarines and aircraft for a live-fire display of the nation’s growing military power.

The waters have been the scene of increased tensions between China and its neighbors this year over competing claims to islands and seabed mineral rights. But one prominent Chinese military analyst called the war games a routine annual event that was unrelated to those claims or recent American moves to shore up diplomatic ties with nations in the region.

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More News On Chinese Naval Exercises

Chinese Marine Corps stages live-action drill in South China Sea -- Global Times
China stages live-fire war games in South China Sea amid slow-burning territorial disputes -- Canadian Press/AP
China stages war games -- Straits Times

My Comment: The Chinese are sending a message to countries like Japan that territorial disputes need to be solved. If not .... expect more naval exercises and an expansion of the Chinese fleet.