The Liaoning aircraft carrier appears to be among 14 large naval vessels snapped on manoeuvres in a satellite image circulating online
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenAmber Wangin BeijingPublished: 8:29pm, 24 Apr 2026Beijing has held naval exercises in waters east of a Philippine island near Taiwan in an apparent response to nearby annual military drills hosted by Manila and Washington.The People’s Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command said on Friday that a naval fleet had “recently” held drills in waters east of Luzon, the northernmost major island of the Philippines.
The drills were “a necessary action taken in response to the current regional situation”, said the command, which oversees the South China Sea.
The deployment coincided with Monday’s launch of “Balikatan 2026”, a 19-day annual large-scale joint exercise led by the United States and the Philippines.
