US aircraft carriers hold drills in South China Sea
BEIJING: Two US aircraft carrier groups, comprising dozens of warships and at least 120 fighter aircraft, conducted joint exercises in the South China Sea on Tuesday, days after an American battleship sailed near Chinesecontrolled islands in the disputed waters. China criticised the exercise as a “show of force”.
Ships and aircraft of the Theodore Roosevelt and the Nimitz carrier strike groups “coordinated operations in a highly trafficked area to demonstrate the US Navy’s ability to operate in challenging environments”, the US Navy said in a statement. “As a part of dual carrier operations, the strike groups conducted a multitude of exercises aimed at increasing interoperability between assets as well as command and control capabilities.”
The last time the US Navy conducted dual carrier operations in the South China Sea was in July 2020, when Ronald Reagan and Nimitz carrier strike groups twice operated together in the South China Sea, it added.
In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the frequent moves by US warships and aircraft into the South China Sea in a “show of force” was not conducive to regional peace and stability.
“China will continue to take necessary measures to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and security and work with countries in the region to firmly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
Tuesday’s exercise comes days after China condemned the sailing of the destroyer, the USS John S Mccain, near the Chinese-controlled Xisha Islands, also called Paracel Islands.
China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, which are disputed by several maritime neighbours including the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia besides Vietnam and Taiwan.
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