Chinese military does drills defense near Korea

China’s air force has carried out exercises near the Korean peninsula, practicing to defend against a “surprise attack” coming over the sea, Chinese state media reported. An anti-aircraft defense battalion carried out the exercises early on Tuesday, near the Bohai Sea, the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea that separates China from the peninsula, an official military website reported. Troops traveled to the site from central China before immediately beginning drills to fend off the “surprise attack” simulating real battle, it said. “The troops rapid response capabilities and actual combat levels have effectively been tested,” it said. It was the first time certain weapons, which it did not identify, had been used to shoot down low-altitude targets coming over the sea, the website said, without elaborating. China’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment from Reuters.