Chinese drills showcased for the US, not TaiwanPACIFIC OCEAN: Defense experts have warned that the ‘Shandong,’ China’s second largest aircraft carrier, poses a serious threat to eastern Taiwan’s defensesStaff Writer, with CNAThe drills conducted by the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong in the Western Pacific last week were more aimed at showcasing China’s military capabilities to the US rather than toward Taiwan, a Taiwanese defense expert said yesterday. Lin said that the latest Chinese drills coincided with a joint maritime exercise conducted by the US, South Korea and Canada that happened on the Yellow Sea on Thursday. This undated handout photo released by the Taiwan Defense Ministry on September 13, 2023 shows Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong, left, while being monitored by a Taiwanese Keelung class warship at sea. Photo: Taiwan Defense Ministry / AFPThe People’s Liberation Army (PLA) did not make more details of the Shandong drill public. The Shandong is China’s second aircraft carrier, and the first to be entirely built by its domestic shipbuilding industry.
