Two US Navy aircraft carriers conduct exercises in the South China Sea

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The aircraft carriers USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Nimitz, along with accompanying cruisers and guided missile destroyers, demonstrate the ability of the US Navy to operate in harsh and busy environments, the US Navy said in a statement. communicated.

The two strike groups have around 120 fighter jets between them.

China claims almost all of the 1.3 million square kilometers of the South China Sea. Since 2014 he has transformed obscure reefs and sandbanks into man-made man-made islands, fortified with missiles, tracks and weapon systems – pitting governments against overlapping claims, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia , Indonesia, Brunei and Taiwan.

“The US action is aimed at driving a wedge between countries, promoting the militarization of the South China Sea and undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea,” the spokesperson said at the time. from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Zhao Lijian.

In a speech on Thursday, Biden described China as the “most serious competitor” of the United States and outlined plans to deal with “Beijing’s attack on human rights, intellectual property and global governance ”.

And in an interview with CBS News on Sunday, Biden said Washington was in “extreme competition” with China.

But Biden and officials in his administration have pledged to work with U.S. allies to counter Beijing.

“I’m not going to do it like Trump did,” Biden said of his predecessor’s administration, which has often crafted policy regarding China without consulting regional actors and organizations.

“We’re going to focus on the international rules of the road,” Biden told CBS.

These three Pacific military flashpoints could shape Biden's strategy in China
The US Navy says it followed international rules twice last week as it challenges Chinese claims in the Pacific. Last Thursday, the US Navy sent the guided-missile destroyer USS John S McCain across the Taiwan Strait, which separates China from self-governing Taiwan. On Friday, the same warship smoked near the Paracel Islands, claimed by China, in the South China Sea.

Friday’s so-called freedom of navigation operation near the Paracels “confirmed the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea recognized by international law,” according to a US Navy statement.

American Rear Adm. Doug Verissimo, commander, Carrier Strike Group Nine, led by Roosevelt, said Tuesday that the dual carrier operation was carried out “to ensure that we are tactically competent to meet the challenge of peacekeeping and we are able to continue to show our partners and allies in the region that we are committed to promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific. “

Since taking office on January 20, the Biden administration has reaffirmed its commitment to U.S. allies and partners in the region, specifically advising the Philippines and Japan that their islands also claimed by China are covered by defense treaties. mutual that oblige Washington to defend them.

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