China, US send warships into disputed waters as tensions rise over Whitsun Reef
- US aircraft carrier strike group entered South China Sea and a destroyer was in East China Sea, while Chinese carrier transited through Miyako Strait near Japan
- It comes amid a deepening dispute between Beijing and Manila over the presence of Chinese boats at a reef in the Spratly Islands
Analysts say their naval presence in the Indo-Pacific at the same time highlights the risk of military conflict between the powers, as Beijing asserts its maritime claims in the region more aggressively and Washington focuses its defence strategy on countering China.
The Philippine foreign ministry on Monday said China’s claims that the boats were sheltering from bad weather were “blatant falsehoods” and “clearly [a] false narrative of China’s expansive and illegitimate claims in the West Philippine Sea”.
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Philippines sounds alarm over 200 Chinese ships in the South China Sea
Manila also rejected Beijing’s assertion that the reef in the disputed Spratly Islands was a traditional Chinese fishing ground and again demanded the boats leave the area, in its exclusive economic zone, immediately.
