China's air force said Thursday its planes flew over the Miyako Strait, near Okinawa Island, to the Western Pacific Ocean for training for the first time, amid heightened Asian maritime tensions.
It said the one-day training, aimed at improving aircraft maneuverability above the open sea, was completed successfully.
The announcement comes as China and the United States, which is trying to maintain its dominant security role in the region, remain apart over how to ease territorial tensions in the East and South China seas.