Chinese Navy sails through ‘first island chain’ - report

From the Manila Bulletin (Aug 2): Chinese Navy sails through ‘first island chain’ - report



People's Liberation Army Navy warships. (People’s Liberation Army Navy)

"Now the chain is fragmented."

The Chinese Navy has broken through major archipelagos off the East Asian continental, including part of the Philippines, a Chinese newspaper said.

According to a report by the China Daily on Friday, the Chinese Navy “has fulfilled its long-held dream of breaking through the "first island chain blockade,"” which includes the northern Philippines, Japanese archipelago, Ryukyu Islands, and China's Taiwan.

The Chinese vessels, citing military observers, have gained access to the Pacific Ocean through various waterways along the route, it added.

"The Chinese navy has the capability to cut the first island chain into several pieces," said Du Wenlong, a senior researcher at the PLA's Academy of Military Science.

The remarks were made in interviews with China Daily to mark the 86th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army.

Washington in 1950s regarded the chain as an “important barrier to contain China and other communist countries,” China Daily said.

The Chinese vessels passed through the strait to train in the West Pacific after a joint naval drill with Russia in the Japanese Sea.

It reported that it was the first time that the Chinese navy has conducted high-sea training after a major drill, with no rest, noting that it shows that the Chinese navy is capable of patrolling waters far from home.

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