- Sputnik International
Asia
Find top stories and features from Asia and the Pacific region. Keep updated on major political stories and analyses from Asia and the Pacific. All you want to know about China, Japan, North and South Korea, India and Pakistan, Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Alleged Satellite Photo of US Carrier Surrounded by Chinese Warships Makes Rounds on Social Media

CC BY 2.0 / U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Erwin Jacob Villavicencio Miciano / The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), second from bottom, lead ship of the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group, the guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54), bottom, and the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69), left, conduct a photo exercise with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) helicopter destroyer JS Kaga (DDH 184), second from top, and the JMSDF destroyers JS Inazuma (DD 105) and JS Suzutsuki (DD 117). The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), second from bottom, lead ship of the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group, the guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54), bottom, and the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69), left, conduct a photo exercise with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) helicopter destroyer JS Kaga (DDH 184), second from top, and the JMSDF destroyers JS Inazuma (DD 105) and JS Suzutsuki (DD 117). The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. - Sputnik International
Subscribe
The US Navy regularly conducts so-called freedom of navigation operations in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, currently mostly controlled by Beijing. The latter condemns such actions as "provocations" and frequently calls on Washington to cease carrying them out.

A Chinese Weibo social media user with the handle @zhezhongzhihuizhang published a satellite image allegedly showing American aircraft carrier the USS Ronald Reagan surrounded by at least seven other, purportedly Chinese, warships on 24 September. The image, which later spread to other social media platforms, also suggested that the USS Ronald Reagan was alone when it was allegedly surrounded northeast of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, although aircraft carriers are usually accompanied by other warships.

Spokeswoman for the US 7th Fleet refused to confirm whether the incident really took place, saying only that the carrier is "conducting routine operations". A spokesperson for the Chinese Defence Ministry neither confirmed nor denied that the US warship had been surrounded, but noted when responding to a question about their publication that the USS Ronald Reagan was sent to the region to "flex muscles and escalate regional militarisation".

"We are firmly opposed to that. We urge the US side to respect the security concerns of countries in the region and make positive contributions to the peace and stability in the South China Sea", the spokesperson said.

The carrier's voyage to the disputed waters of the South China Sea comes just weeks ahead of the celebration of the Chinese Communist Party's 70th anniversary. But such deployments have not been a rare occurrence recently.

The US, sometimes in cooperation with its allies, has been sending warships on so-called freedom of navigation operations, claiming to be protecting vital maritime routes, currently controlled by China, despite several other regional states claiming sovereignty over various islands in the South China Sea.

CC0 / / USS Nimitz, USS Chosin, USS Sampson, and USS Pinkney in South China Sea (File)
Alleged Satellite Photo of US Carrier Surrounded by Chinese Warships Makes Rounds on Social Media - Sputnik International
USS Nimitz, USS Chosin, USS Sampson, and USS Pinkney in South China Sea (File)

Beijing has repeatedly slammed these American operations as "provocations" and cautioned Washington against escalating the situation in the region with its "reckless" actions.

Brunei, the People's Republic of China (PRC), Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam are staking their claims to parts of the South China Sea, which reportedly contains rich fossil fuel reserves and through which many important maritime routes pass. The majority of the area is controlled by Beijing, which has been increasing its military presence there, including by creating artificial islands and building military installations on them. China insists that all the deployments are purely defensive.

 

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала