According to the Chinese military's website, multiple bombers took off from a base in southern China and hit a training target before practicing take-off and landing at an airfield built on an unidentified island in the disputed South China Sea.

In a statement, the Chinese Air Force said that "a division of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) recently organized multiple bombers such as the H-6K to conduct take-off and landing training on islands and reefs in the South China Sea in order to improve our ability to 'reach all territory, conduct strikes at any time and strike in all directions."

A pilot involved in the drills told Reuters that the maneuvers were meant to advance military training to "new era,"  and prepare China's air force for a defense of the region, suggesting that a South China Sea war is an outcome Beijing is increasingly preparing for. And in case the message was lost, the pilot described the exercise as preparation for "the west Pacific and the battle for the South China Sea."