Chinese military aircraft flew over the Bashi Channel and Miyako Strait on April 15 as part of a military exercise.
The Diplomat
Date: April 16, 2019
By: Franz-Stefan Gady
Image Credit: Japan Ministry of Defense
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) conducted a long-range military drill involving Xian H-6K bombers, a Shaanxi KJ-500 airborne early warning and control (AWAC) aircraft, a Shaanxi Y-9JB (GX-8) electronic warfare and surveillance plane, as well as Su-30 and J-11 fighter jets near Taiwan and Japan on April 15.
The PLAAF aircraft reportedly passed through the Bashi Channel, a strategically pivotal waterway between the Philippines and the Taiwanese island of Orchid connecting the South China Sea with the western Pacific Ocean. Some also flew through the Miyako Strait, situated between the Japanese islands of Okinawa and Miyako in the East China Sea.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD), four PLAAF H-6K bombers and one Y-9JB (GX-8) returned to their base in southern China via the Miyako Strait. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) scrambled fighter jets to intercept the PLANAF aircraft in response; Japanese airspace was reportedly not violated.
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