U.S. Navy multipurpose fighter landing on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) while sailing in the South China Sea on October 16, 2019.
Catherine Lai | AFP | fake pictures
The US Navy exercise in the disputed South China Sea over the weekend was about “showing the flag” and sending a message to the region, an expert told CNBC this week.
Two US aircraft carriers conducted operations and exercises in the disputed waters on July 4 “in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the Navy said in a statement.
Beijing also conducted military training in the South China Sea from July 1 to 5.
“The United States wants to send a message that it is not backing down and that it can still go back,” said Gregory Poling of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Poling, who is the director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at CSIS, said there was a lot of “bad press” in China that the United States was unable to maintain carrier operations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It is about the United States saying we are still in the region,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Monday.
The South China Sea has been a point of contention for Beijing and Washington because China is aggressive in claiming much of the region as its own territory, while the United States promotes freedom of navigation along the sea route. Countries such as the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam have also claimed parts of the waterway.
The latest US moves are “definitely” a message for the region, he said. Poling noted that many allies are “very nervous” because China has been “pushing on all fronts” in recent months. That includes along its border with India, across the strait with Taiwan, in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
“(They) want to know if the United States still has the backbone for this,” he added.
While aircraft carriers probably have “very little to do with a modern fight” in this region, “it’s about showing the flag,” Poling said.
When asked about the possibility of a miscalculation, he said the odds are low because neither the United States nor China wants a fight, but it cannot be entirely ruled out.
Beijing’s efforts to halt US freedom of navigation operations have become “increasingly aggressive,” and China is “very sensitive” to perceived weakness due to the coronavirus, he said.
On the other hand, the United States is “committed not to be seen as a paper tiger,” he added. “There is a small but not zero chance of accidental escalation.”
– CNBC’s Yen Nee Lee contributed to this report.
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