TOKYO (JAPAN) – The US navy said on Tuesday that the United States is conducting two military exercises in Asian waters this week, which would include allies Japan, Australia and India.
The exercises have been conducted even as military rivalry between the United States and China is becoming intense, days after the United States said China claiming sovereignty over the disputed South China Sea were illegal.
China, which opposes such exercises, said that the rejection of its claims in the South China Sea increased tension and threatened to disrupt stability in the region.
Though the USS Nimitz and the USS Ronald Reagan were deployed to the South China Sea twice this month, this week, the Nimitz was in the Indian Ocean for exercises to be held with the Indian navy, according to the US navy.
Rear Admiral Jim Kirk, commander of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, said in a statement, “While operating together, the U.S. and Indian naval forces conducted high-end exercises designed to maximize training and interoperability, including air defence.”
The drills were carried out near India’s Andaman and Nicobar islands, which makes for one of the world’s busiest shipping routes for trade and fuel, an Indian source said.
The US navy said the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group was in the Indian Ocean, and was in favour of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
With naval forces from Japan and Australia in the Philippine Sea, separately, the US strike group led by Ronald Reagan was carrying out drills , US and Australian officials said on Tuesday.
The exercises are likely to end on July 23, Australia’s defence department said.
Later this year, the United States will conduct naval exercises with India and Japan in the Bay of Bengal, which might be joined by Australia.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.