US ships in S. China Sea

Taiwan: Two United States carrier groups conducted joint exercises in the South China Sea yesterday, days after a US warship sailed near Chinesecontrolled islands in the disputed waters, and China denounced the US for damaging peace and stability.

The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group and the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group ``conducted a multitude of exercises aimed at increasing interoperability between assets as well as command and control capabilities``, the US Navy said, marking the first dual carrier operations in the busy waterway since July 2020.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said moves by US warships and aircraft into the South China Sea in a ``show of force’’ was not conducive to regional stability.

The exercise came days after China condemned the sailing of destroyer USS John S. McCain, near the Chinesecontrolled Paracel Islands in the first such US Navy mission since President Joe Biden took office. — Reuters