IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Beijing

Navy conducts drill in the Pacific

Chinese naval aircraft joined a naval fleet for a military drill in the western Pacific Ocean east of the Bashi Channel on Wednesday, a military spokesman for the People's Liberation Army's navy said. The ships and aircraft carried out several exercises that imitated combat conditions in waters south of Taiwan, spokesman Liang Yang said. He stressed the drill was a routine exercise scheduled as part of the navy's annual training plans.