China: USA deliberately tightens muscles in the South China Sea

USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan have been practicing in the South China Sea since 4 July, in sight of Chinese ships. "They saw us, and we saw them," said Rear Admiral James Kirk, commander of the USS Nimitz, in a telephone conversation with Reuter's agency.

Polish Navy The U.S. has done similar shows of force in the region in the past, but this year's maneuvers are due to periods of intense tension in American-Chinese relations. Washington criticizes Beijing for responding to the Covid-19 pandemic and accuses him of using the crisis to escalate territorial claims.

In announcing the exercise, the Pentagon declared that it wanted to protect "the right of all nations to fly, swim and act wherever international law permits it." Aircraft carriers and approximately 90 aircraft on each of them were defined as the "symbols of determination" of the USA in this respect.

W Beijing spokeswoman of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimated that the U.S. had deliberately sent ships to the disputed sea to "stress muscles". He accused Washington of trying to create divisions among the countries of the region.

No incidents occurred between American and Chinese ships," Kirk said.

China recognizes almost the entire South China Sea as its own territory. This is contrary to the claims of Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan to the individual areas of this water. The South China Sea is rich in natural deposits and crucial for international trade; each year goods worth $3 trillion flow through them.

China builds artificial islands on the disputed sea, on which they place military bases. They declare peaceful intentions and reject the criticism of the United States, which accuse them of militarizing the water.

Source: PAP