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The USS America has embarked to intercept a Chinese government scout ship and several of its Chinese Coast Guard escorts after they ventured into contested waters off the coast of Malaysia, amid an international maritime confrontation between the two Asian nations.
The United States called on China to halt its “intimidating behavior” in the South China Sea on Saturday, citing reports related to Beijing’s “provocative” actions aimed at offshore oil and gas developments in the Exclusive Economic Zone ( EEZ) rich in minerals from Malaysia.
US officials accused China of taking advantage of the distraction posed by the coronavirus outbreak to increase its maritime presence in the region, ordering them to desist.
However, the warning was not clearly ignored as, in the days that followed, China’s prospecting ship Haiyang Dizhi 8 has persisted with a series of patrols near Malaysia’s oil rigs in the South China Sea, a namely, the West Capella drilling vessel, which sparked contention territory between China and Malaysia when exploration activities began in October.
The USS America has embarked to intercept a Chinese government reconnaissance ship and several of its Chinese Coast Guard escorts after they ventured into contested waters off the coast of Malaysia, amid an international maritime dispute between the two countries.
Haiyang Dizhi 8 has persisted this week with several patrols near Malaysia’s oil rigs in the South China Sea, namely the West Capella drilling vessel, which sparked territorial disputes between China and Malaysia when it began exploration activities in October.
With the USS Theodore Roosevelt temporarily sidelined in Guam after suffering a high-profile coronavirus outbreak on board, the USS America is currently the most important operational naval asset than the US Navy. USA It has in the region.
The amphibious assault ship, with a fleet of Marine F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter jets, MV-22B rotaries, and CH-53 helicopters on board, was seen sailing at high speed toward West Capella on Sunday night to intercept the Chinese ship.
Haiyang Dizhi 8, and its 10 China Coast Guard escort ships, have been operating about 200 nautical miles off the east coast of Malaysia for several days. The disputed waters are claimed by Malaysia, Vietnam and China.
West Capella, which is under contract with the Malaysian oil company Petronas, has sparked a wave of patrols by the Chinese Coast Guard and ships of the Maritime Militia, ships of the Vietnamese Maritime Militia and ships of the Royal Navy of Malaysia and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, since their commission six months ago.
Despite all the activity, no incidents at sea have yet been reported, and the three governments are content to keep matters out of the reach of public opinion.
West Capella, which is under contract with the Malaysian oil company Petronas, has sparked a wave of patrols by the Chinese Coast Guard and ships of the Maritime Militia, ships of the Vietnamese Maritime Militia and ships of the Royal Navy of Malaysia and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, since their commission six months ago
With the USS Theodore Roosevelt temporarily sidelined in Guam after suffering a high-profile coronavirus outbreak on board, the USS America is currently the most important operational naval asset than the US Navy. USA Has in the region
The amphibious assault ship was seen sailing at high speed toward West Capella on Sunday night to intercept the Chinese vessel.
The USS America is packed with a fleet of stealth aircraft, including Marine F-35B Lightning II jets (left), MV-22Bs rotaries, and CH-53 helicopters (right) on board.
Rival countries have contested territory in the South China Sea for centuries, but tensions have steadily increased in recent years.
On Wednesday, Haiyang Dizhi 8 was seen operating off Vietnam, where last year he conducted suspicious oil exploration studies over large swaths of Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone.
The ship appeared to have begun a study in waters 352 kilometers (218 miles) off the coast of Brunei and Malaysia, just north of the Exclusive Economic Zone of Malaysia (EEZ), near the waters claimed by Vietnam and Malaysia.
“The United States is concerned by reports of China’s repeated provocative actions targeting the development of offshore oil and gas by other claimant states,” the US State Department said in an emailed statement in response to questions. on the presence of Haiyang Dizhi 8 in the area.
‘In this case, [China] You should stop your bullying behavior and refrain from engaging in this type of provocative and destabilizing activity, “he said.
In response, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the ship was carrying out normal activities and accused US officials of tarnishing Beijing.
The charts tracking the Haiyang Dizhi 8 prospecting ship operating smoothly in the waters of the Malaysian EEZ, show the ship after the third inspection line and carry out its fourth round.
The latest incident in Malaysia came just a week after China took advantage of the coronavirus that paralyzed the USS Theodore Roosevelt by sending an aircraft carrier and fighter jets near the disputed territory of Taiwan.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said Liaoning, China’s first operational aircraft carrier, and five accompanying warships first passed through the Miyako Strait, located between the Japanese islands of Miyako and Okinawa, northeast Taiwan, on Saturday.
The USS Roosevelt and USS Ronald Reagan are the only two US carriers in the Pacific, but both have been forced to dock due to confirmed cases of coronavirus on board, effectively giving China freedom of range in the region.
With American ships in port, the Liaoning, which can carry up to 24 J-15 fighter jets, is currently the only active aircraft carrier in the western Pacific.
On Sunday, the Liaoning group of aircraft carriers, which includes two missile destroyers, two missile frigates and a supply ship, sailed in waters off the east coast of Taiwan and then in seas off southern Taiwan, conducting exercises, the said. ministry.
In response to China, the US Air Force and Navy. USA They gave a show of force with a dozen B-52 bomber and other aircraft training on the track on Monday.
Taiwan also said that its armed forces monitored the progress of the carrier group throughout the process and “completed relevant actions in response to guarantee national security and protect regional peace and stability.”
There was no immediate response from the Chinese Defense Ministry.
Liaoning and the accompanying warships first passed through the Miyako Strait over the weekend. In the photo, Liaoning sails with a flotilla of Chinese ships in April 2018.
The USS Roosevelt (pictured in 2017) and the USS Ronald Reagan are the only two U.S. carriers in the Pacific, but both have been forced to dock due to confirmed cases of coronavirus on board, effectively hitting China. free range in the region
Members of the People’s Liberation Army navy are seen aboard China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning while sailing in Hong Kong, China in July 2017.
China’s sweeping claims of sovereignty over the sea, and its roughly 11 billion barrels of untapped oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, have antagonized Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei, who have competitive claims over the territory.
The United States, which has significant interests in guaranteeing freedom of navigation and securing maritime lines of communication (SLOC), has expressed its support for an agreement on a binding code of conduct to ease tensions in the region.
China’s claims and its recent conduct in the region threaten SLOCs, which are important maritime passages that facilitate trade and movement of naval forces.
The US Department of State. USA He urged Beijing to focus on fighting the coronavirus pandemic and “stop exploiting the distraction or vulnerability of other states to expand their illegal claims in the South China Sea.”
POWER AND POWER: THE TWO AIRCRAFT CARRIERS OF CHINA
China has made drastic advances in its military capabilities in recent years, and will boast of having the world’s largest Navy by 2035, according to the US Naval Institute. USA
The country already has two aircraft carriers, and is said to have plans to build two more in the coming years.
The Chinese government first bought a partially completed carrier from Ukraine in 1998, and it took over a decade to fully restore it.
The carrier, called Liaoning, is docked at the Dalian Naval Base in the northeast of the country. It entered service in 2012.
Like Liaoning, Shandong uses a ski jump-style ramp to launch its planes (pictured)
China then channeled about $ 9 billion into its second aircraft carrier: Shandong. The 65,000-ton warship can house up to 6,000 crew and is strategically based on Hainan Island, the southernmost point in China.
The carrier only entered service last December, and Chinese President Xi Jinping attended an official commissioning ceremony.
Like Liaoning, Shandong uses a ski jump-style ramp to launch its planes.
Last month, the South China Morning Post reported that naval officials had tightened restrictions on the ship amid fears that the coronavirus could spread among sailors. Those who boarded and disembarked underwent medical examinations.
According to the newspaper, crew members were prohibited from going ashore unless they had permission from Captain Lai Yijun or Political Commissioner Pang Jianhong.
The ship was also subject to further cleaning measures, with “each and every corner of the ship disinfected.”
