Chinese naval taskforce enters West Pacific

WEST PACIFIC, September 6 (ChinaMil) -- A taskforce of the Navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLAN) which is to visit three South American countries, namely, Chile, Brazil and Argentina, passed through the Bashi Channel and entered the waters of the West Pacific at around 07:00 on September 5, 2013.

According to Li Xiaoyan, commander of the taskforce and deputy chief of staff of the South China Sea Fleet of the PLAN, after entering the West Pacific, the taskforce will carry out training as planned, so as to further test related tactics and training methods and improve the taskforce's capability for performing tasks on high seas.

Situated between the Orchid Island of China's Taiwan and the Y’Ami Island of the Philippines, the Bashi Channel is an important international east-west waterway connecting the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. In accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), ships and airplanes of every country have the freedom to navigate through and fly over the channel.