China's Navy Flexing its Muscle in East China Sea
China's People's Liberation Army has been conducting live ammunition drills in the East China Sea during the last week.
The fleet's main forces, including dozens of warships, fighter aircraft, submarines and missile units, carried out 16 combat training programs ranging from anti-missile techniques to searching for and attacking submarines, according to a captain of one of the warships.
This is in response to the Japanese government signing a contract last Tuesday to purchase the Diaoyu or Senkaku Islands, although there is a dispute as to who is the true owner of the islands.
The disputed group of islands, known as Diaoyu in China or Senkaku in Japan, are part of an untapped and extremely rich natural resource.
While China claims to have indisputable sovereignty over them, due to historical reasons, they are under Japanese control.
