Two US aircraft carriers were conducting exercises in the disputed South China Sea on Saturday, the US navy said, as China also carried out military drills that have been criticized by the Pentagon and neighboring states.
China and the United States have accused each other of stoking tension in the strategic waterway at a time of strained relations over everything from the new coronavirus to trade to Hong Kong.
The USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan were carrying out operations and exercises in the South China Sea “to support a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the navy said in a statement.
It did not say exactly where the exercises were being conducted in the South China Sea, which extends for some 1,500 kilometers and 90 percent of which is claimed by China despite the protests of its neighbors.
“The purpose is to show an unambiguous signal to our partners and allies that we are committed to regional security and stability,” Rear Admiral George M. Wikoff was quoted as saying by the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the exercises.
Wikoff, commander of the strike group led by the Ronald Reagan, said the exercises were not a response to those being conducted by China, which the Pentagon criticized this week as “counter-productive to efforts at easing tensions and maintaining stability.”
China dismissed the US criticism of its drills on Friday and suggested the United States was to blame for increasing tensions.
US carriers have long carried out exercises in the Western Pacific, including in the South China Sea, according to the US navy. At one point recently, the United States had three carriers in the region.
China announced last week it had scheduled five days of drills starting July 1 near the Paracel Islands, which are claimed by both Vietnam and China.
Vietnam and the Philippines have also criticized the planned Chinese drills, warning they could create tension in the region and impact Beijing’s relationship with its neighbors.
The United States accuses China of trying to intimidate Asian neighbors who might want to exploit its extensive oil and gas reserves. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also lay claim to parts of the South China Sea, through which about $3 trillion of trade passes each year.
The US statement said the naval exercises gave commanders the flexibility and capabilities “that only the US Navy can command.”
US sends carriers to South China Sea during Chinese drills
https://arab.news/c2ha6
US sends carriers to South China Sea during Chinese drills
- China and the United States have accused each other of stoking tension in the strategic waterway
- US carriers have long carried out exercises in the Western Pacific, including in the South China Sea
Kremlin says won’t share ‘specifics’ of Putin, Trump phone call on Iran war
DUBAI: The Kremlin said on Wednesday that it will not disclose the specific proposals by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the current Middle East war which came during an earlier phone call with US President Donald Trump.
During a presser, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia will not disclose the “specifics” of the Russian president’s proposals to Trump.
Putin held a phone call with Trump on Monday where they discussed the Ukraine and Iran wars.
Trump hailed the conversation as “positive.”
“He wants to be helpful” on the Middle East, Trump said of Putin.
Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov told reporters later that day that Putin had a roughly one-hour telephone conversation with Trump at the request of the US side. The two leaders had not spoken over the phone since late December of last year.
Separately, Russia said it is constantly in touch with the Iranian leadership and willing to contribute to efforts to stabilize the region.
“Here I can only say that we are in constant contact with the Iranian side and with the Iranian leadership.”
“As President (Vladimir) Putin has said, Russia is always ready to do what it can to restore peace and stability in the region.”
