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US deploys aircraft carriers to South China Sea for 2nd time in 2 weeks
17 Jul, 2020
The US has deployed two aircraft carriers to the South China Sea for the
second time in two weeks as Beijing and Washington accuse each other of
stoking tensions in the region. The USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan carried
out operations and military exercises in the waterway between July 4 and 6,
and returned to the region on Friday, the US Navy said in a statement.
“Nimitz and Reagan Carrier Strike Groups are operating in the South China
Sea, wherever international law allows, to reinforce our commitment to a
free and open Indo-Pacific, a rules based international order, and to our
allies and partners in the region,” said Rear Admiral Jim Kirk, commander
of the Nimitz. The presence of the carriers was not in response to political
or world events, the statement said.
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam challenge China’s
claim to about 90 percent of the sea. Beijing held military drills in the
sea earlier this month, drawing strong condemnation from both Vietnam and
the Philippines, Reuters reported.
China’s Foreign Ministry said earlier that the US had deliberately sent its
ships to the South China Sea to flex its muscles and accused it of trying
to drive a wedge between countries in the region. |
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