US aircraft carrier returns to South China Sea amid tensions in Taiwan
An aircraft carrier strike group from the USA returned to the South Sea of Chinawhile tensions with the Asian country increase due to a possible visit to Taiwan the leader of the US Congress, Nancy Pelosi, next month.
US Navy Seventh Fleet officials confirmed the deployment of the USS Ronald Reagan. “The aircraft carrier and its strike group are underway, operating in the South China Sea following a successful passage through the port of Singapore,” Commander Hayley Sims said in a statement to Reuters news agency.
Sims added that Reagan “continues normal and scheduled operations as part of its routine patrol in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the American presence in the region with the Reagan navigation. “It is the biggest threat to the South China Sea and to the peace and stability of the Asian region,” spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Thursday.