US holds exercises in South China Sea amid tensions with China

[zczna]

from:
https://www.wionews.com/world/us-holds- ... ina-561264

US holds exercises in South China Sea amid tensions with China
WION Web Team
~2 minutes

Just when relations between China and the US are strained to the suspected Chinese spy balloon in US, the US Navy and Marine Corps are holding joint exercises in the South China Sea. According to 7th Fleet based in Japan, the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group and 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit have been carrying out "integrated expeditionary strike force operations" in the South China Sea.

The fleet said that the exercise involves ships, ground forces and aircraft. It gave no details as to when they began and whether they had ended, but that the exercise took place on Saturday.

China claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea based on ancient claims and the so-called 'nine-dash line'. These claims are contested by countries in the region. US, while not having an official position on Chinese sovereignty in the South China Sea, has carried a number of freedom of navigation and military exercises in the past.

US has also begun strengthening its alliance with countries in the region who are at odds with China over claims in the South China Sea. The Philippines has been on the receiving end of encroachment by Chinese coast guard and nominally civilian but government-backed fleets.