US coastguard spots Chinese naval ships off Alaska island
- The military vessels were in international waters but within the US exclusive economic zone, officials say
![The Chinese navy’s Shandong carrier task force is seen from the Japanese destroyer Akebono in the Philippine Sea on Tuesday. Four Chinese military ships were spotted in the Bering Sea off Alaska on Wednesday. Photo: Japan’s Joint Staff Office via AP](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/07/12/ca844818-6918-40f1-b0a7-8d88334fb9a1_f4c5996d.jpg?itok=9ZRdp805&v=1720735489)
A US coastguard cutter on routine patrol in the Bering Sea came across several Chinese military ships in international waters but within the US exclusive economic zone, officials said.
The crew detected three vessels around 200km (124 miles) north of the Amchitka Pass in the Aleutian Islands, the coastguard said in a statement on Wednesday.
A short time later, a helicopter aircrew from Coastguard Air Station Kodiak spotted a fourth ship around 135km (84 miles) north of the Amukta Pass.
All four of the vessels were “transiting in international waters but still inside the US exclusive economic zone”, which extends 200 nautical miles (370km) from the US shoreline, the statement said.
“The Chinese naval presence operated in accordance with international rules and norms,” said Rear Admiral Megan Dean, Seventeenth Coast Guard District commander. “We met presence with presence to ensure there were no disruptions to US interests in the maritime environment around Alaska.”
![A crew member on the US Coastguard Cutter Kimball observes a foreign vessel in the Bering Sea in September 2022. Photo: US coastguard A crew member on the US Coastguard Cutter Kimball observes a foreign vessel in the Bering Sea in September 2022. Photo: US coastguard](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2024/07/12/7f8c6136-416b-40ab-8fc3-3a191a5b442d_fe6332d7.jpg)
![](https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/media/wheel-on-gray.af4a55f9.gif)