UNITED STATES—Two American aircraft carriers were sent to the South China Sea as of Saturday, on July 5, to remind China of their claims in the area. The Beijing’s military was nearby conducting exercises in the sea, who has the most claim in the region.
Two aircraft carriers, the Ronald Reagan and the Nimitz sailed to the South China Sea on Saturday. The deployment of an American aircraft carrier, and its strike force is used as a tactic to challenge an opponent, and in this case, China is the opposing side. Deployment of two aircraft carriers in particular, is a show of significant force. In 2016, the former Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter had sent two aircraft carriers to South China Sea to remind Beijing of the United States’ commitment to its allies in the region.
Beijing has claimed most of the South China Sea, an important waterway controlling about one-third of global shipping flows, contains other regional powers, and it is also a place of contestation between countries, such as China, Vietnam, Philippines, Taiwan, and the US. China continues to claim many islands and their surrounding waters in the South China Sea as its territory, although there are rival claims from Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, and so on. Beijing has been constantly accusing the US of leading tensions through its military operations in the sea, but the US and the other countries have so far not violated any rules within the region. China, however, had violated an international agreement in 2002, in the South China Sea, according to the US Department of Defense.
