FILE PHOTO: The U.S. Navy USS Nimitz aircraft carrier receives fuel from the Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler USNS Tippecanoe during an ongoing replenishment in the South China Sea on July 7 2020. US Navy / Christopher Bosch / Brochure via REUTERS.
HANOI (Reuters) – For the second time in two weeks, the United States has deployed two aircraft carriers in the South China Sea, the United States Navy said on Friday, as China and the United States accuse each other of fueling tensions in the region. .
The USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan carried out military operations and exercises on the disputed waterway between July 4 and 6, and returned to the region on Friday, according to a statement from the U.S. Navy.
“Nimitz and Reagan Carrier Strike Groups are operating in the South China Sea, where permitted by international law, to strengthen our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, a rules-based international order, and to our allies and partners. in the region”. Rear Admiral Jim Kirk, commander of the Nimitz, said in the statement.
The carriers’ presence was not in response to political or global events, the statement added, but relations between Washington and Beijing are currently strained by everything from the new coronavirus to trade with Hong Kong.
Heated rhetoric has been on the rise in the region, where Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam challenge China’s claim to about 90% of the sea.
China conducted military drills at sea earlier this month, with strong condemnations from both Vietnam and the Philippines, at the same time that the two carriers first crossed the waterway, which is why the US Navy said that they were pre-planned exercises.
The U.S. Navy says its carriers have long exercised in the western Pacific, including the South China Sea, which stretches for about 1,500 km (900 miles). At a recent time, the United States had three carriers in the region.
About $ 3 trillion of trade passes through the South China Sea each year. The United States accuses China of trying to intimidate Asian neighbors who want to exploit its extensive oil and gas reserves.
Report by James Pearson; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore
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