China hones anti-submarine capabilities amid South China Sea tensions

China’s military said it had recently held intensive anti-submarine exercises in the strategically important South China Sea as part of efforts to hone its capabilities amid rising maritime tensions with its neighbours and their allies.
The Southern Command Theatre of China’s People’s Liberation Army said in a statement, in an undisclosed area in the South China Sea, more than a dozen flights of anti-submarine patrol aircraft operated non-stop for more than 40 hours searching for submarines and simulating attacks.
The statemen said, “It has effectively honed the military’s round-the-clock aerial anti-submarine combat capabilities.” The exercise was conducted late at night and in the early morning to accumulate experience at different hours.
The statement did not say whether any non-Chinese submarines were identified in the area.