CHINESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER TAKES A SPIN THROUGH THE SOUTH CHINA SEA: It isn’t the first time. But we will see more of this.

Influential state-run Chinese tabloid the Global Times said the exercise showed how the carrier was improving its combat capabilities and that it should now sail even further afield.

“The Chinese fleet will cruise to the Eastern Pacific sooner or later. When China’s aircraft carrier fleet appears in offshore areas of the U.S. one day, it will trigger intense thinking about maritime rules,” the newspaper said in an editorial.

A trigger warning from Beijing?