China's state media lauded the country's maritime power Friday after navy vessels completed their first circuit around Japan.
Beijing has been looking to expand its bluewater reach, launching its first aircraft carrier last year, and the circumnavigation of Japan sends a symbolic signal with Beijing and Tokyo at loggerheads over disputed islands in the East China Sea.
China has "crossed all the strongest parts" of the islands that stretch from Japan's northern tip to the Philippines in the south and separate it from the Pacific Ocean, said Du Wenlong, a senior researcher at a People's Liberation Army academy, according to the state-run China Daily.
China's navy is "capable of sending and supporting its warships to navigate and fight in channels far from the continent", the newspaper quoted Du as saying.
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