WEB DESK
A US Navy aircraft carrier strike group has begun patrols in the South China Sea, despite a warning from China on Wednesday not to interfere with Chinese sovereignty in the area.
The US Navy said the group, which includes Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, began routine patrols yesterday. The area where the US group is patrolling is a disputed area and China has been asserting its rule over the waterway despite territorial claims from a number of other east Asian nations.
Nations competing with China for claims to parts of the South China Sea include Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Taiwan also claims part of the area.
On Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang denounced advance news of the deployment at a news conference.
“China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters,” he said. “China respects and upholds the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea which countries enjoy under international law, but firmly opposes any country’s attempt to undermine China’s sovereignty and security in the name of the freedom of navigation and overflight”
FILE PHOTO