BEIJING, May. 6 -- Recently an aircraft carrier battle group headed by the Chinese naval aircraft carrier Shandong conducted training in relevant waters of the South China Sea, according to the Chinese PLA Navy Spokesperson Senior Captain Gao Xiucheng on May 2.
The spokesperson said that it was a routine training exercise within the annual work plan of the PLA Navy and completely legitimate. The maritime training was conducive to improving the ability to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and to maintaining regional peace and stability, Gao stressed.
Gao hoped the outside world would treat it objectively and rationally, adding that in the future, the PLA Navy will continue to carry out training exercises of this kind on a regular basis as planned.
