SHANGHAI (CHINA) – The US Navy said on Friday in a statement that one of its aircraft carriers conducted exercises in the contested South China Sea on August 14.
The USS Ronald Reagan conducted flight operations and high-end maritime stability drills, said the statement.
“Integration with our joint partners is essential to ensuring joint force responsiveness and lethality, and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific,” said US Navy Commander Joshua Fagan, Task Force 70 air operations officer aboard USS Ronald Reagan.
This comes amid mounting tensions between China and the US. Washington has blamed Beijing for its response to the pandemic and for taking advantage of the global crisis to push its claims over the South China Sea.
Always opposed to China’s expansion bid in the contested waters, the US has regularly sent warships for exercises in the strategic waterway.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field