Military exercises are not cause for concern

An attack fleet performs tasks in a military drill conducted in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian province. Oct 20, 2013. [Photo/ Xinhua]

China has resolved to build a stronger military to meet the needs of safeguarding its land and people, as well as its growing interests overseas. But this legitimate and reasonable choice has incurred unnecessary concerns and even finger pointing from the outside world.

As soon as China's military announced that the People's Liberation Army Air Force had for the first time completed a military drill in the airspace above the west Pacific Ocean on Monday, Japanese media claimed it was a show of China's air power and was directed against neighboring countries. Such an allegation is both groundless and biased.

Drills and training in airspace far offshore are a normal practice for coastal countries seeking to improve the combat capabilities of their air forces.

Japanese fighter planes and surveillance aircraft frequently appear in the airspace over the west Pacific and East China Sea, while the US military often breaks past its "first island chain" to enter the East and South China seas and conduct exercises, training and surveillance.

Japanese and Western media never make a fuss about these activities. Therefore, the carping of Japanese media on the drills conducted by the Chinese air force is ill-intentioned and aimed at misleading the international community.

China not only needs to improve its own defense capabilities by conducting military training and exercises far offshore, but has also been increasingly looked upon as an important force in maintaining peace and stability in the region and beyond. Under such a backdrop, it is only natural for the Chinese naval and air forces to increase their activities on the high seas.

Last year, in the search and rescue operation for the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370, China's navy and air force sent ships and aircraft to the South China Sea and south Indian Ocean. This week, the country redirected military vessels on escort and patrol missions in the Gulf of Aden to evacuate hundreds of Chinese nationals, as well as about 200 Pakistanis stranded in Yemen when the situation there worsened.

To effectively shoulder more international responsibilities, as advocated by the United States and other countries in the world, China's navy and air force need to conduct training and exercises on the high seas. The outside world should look at this from the proper perspective.