China’s Liaoning carrier heads to the Pacific as US, Japan prepare for missile drills

The PLA Navy’s Liaoning aircraft carrier has started its second drill series in the western Pacific this year, with the training likely to coincide with an expanded US-Japan military exercise that could have implications for a Taiwan contingency.

The Liaoning carrier group was carrying out the drill in “relevant waters” of the western Pacific Ocean as part of the navy’s annual training plan, China’s defence ministry said on Wednesday.

While it did not disclose the exact location of the drill,...