Washington/Beijing: While the tension between the United States and China escalates, it has been revealed that the US naval destroyer USS Decatur patrolled in the South China Sea region. The US destroyer patrolled in the Spratly Island region which is considered a disputed territory in the South China Sea, informed the US Navy. While China is consistently issuing warnings to the United States, this patrolling by the US warship is an open challenge to China.
USS Decatur, a guided-missile destroyer travelled near Gaven and Johnson reefs in the Spratly Island region, informed the US Navy. It is also claimed that this sailing was a part of the ‘Freedom of Navigation’ program followed by the United States.
Only a few days ago, the United States and Japan held joint naval exercises in the South China Sea. Three Japanese helicopter carriers from the ‘Izumo’ class and a submarine from the Kuroshio class participated in the exercises. The aircraft carrier ‘USS Ronald Reagan’ from the ‘US Ronald Reagan Strike Group’ along with two destroyers participated in the exercises. Japan and the United States had claimed that China cannot object to these exercises as they were conducted in the neutral area in the South China Sea.
This is the first instance of advanced warships from Japan and the United States holding joint exercises in the South China Sea. The US navy informed that the focus of the exercises was deployment and movements of warships in the South China Sea.
Earlier, the US bombers had created a sensation flying near China through the South China Sea. China had also warned the United States about it, however US officials had warned that only a war can stop China’s movements in the South China Sea.
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