The U.S. and Japanese navies mobilized aircraft carriers and conducted joint exercises for several days in the Philippine Sea this week. This is interpreted as a demonstration of force amid heightened tensions with China.
According to AFP on the 1st (local time), U.S. Navy Commodore Carlos Sardiello, commander of the 1st Carrier Strike Group, met with reporters on the bridge of the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, which participated in this training, and said, “Our operations here are based on navigation and aviation that are permitted anywhere. “It reflects the assertion of all countries’ maritime rights under international law regarding freedom of operation,” he explained.
“This is a great rehearsal opportunity for us,” said Brigadier General Sardiello. “It allows our highly trained Sailors to operate in this complex and highly contested region. “We can carry out our mission regardless of the threat,” he claimed.
The U.S. military dispatched 12 ships, including two aircraft carriers, the Carl Vinson and the Theodore Roosevelt, to this exercise. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force participated, including the destroyer Iseho.
The United States is alarmed by China's growing claims in the Pacific.
China has drawn a U-shaped nine-dash line in the South China Sea and claimed that about 90% of the area within it is its territorial waters, causing friction with Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines.
There is an ongoing dispute with Japan over sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands (Chinese name: Diaoyu Islands). There is a territorial dispute with the Philippines over Scarborough Reef (Chinese name: Huangyan Island, Philippine name: Bajo Demasinnok).
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has declared that it will attempt to occupy Taiwan by force if necessary. China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) is stepping up pressure, including major military exercises in the Taiwan Strait.
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