Chinese aircraft carrier formation returns after live-fire drills

QINGDAO -- China's Liaoning aircraft carrier formation Thursday returned to a military port in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, after more than 10 days of live-fire exercises.

The formation took part in a navy review in the South China Sea on April 12. After that, the formation sailed through the Bashi Channel into the West Pacific, and then voyaged through the Miyako Strait to reach the East China Sea. It conducted high-sea training in these waters.

The live combat drills included shipborne fighter planes taking off and landing in complex conditions, and confrontations in water and airspace, aiming to enhance the formation's combat capability.

The drills concluded successfully, with the formation's combat capability tested and improved.