US aircraft carrier deployed to South China Sea

MANILA, Philippines — The USS Carl Vinson, a US Navy Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is in the South China Sea for “routine operations.”

According to the US Pacific Command, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group ONE “is underway conducting routine operations in the US 7th Fleet area of operations.”

An official photo posted on the US Pacific Fleet’s website showed how sailors observed an F/A-18E Super Hornet, assigned to the “Stingers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 113, take off from the flight deck of the carrier on Wednesday.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has yet to respond to request for more information about the US Navy vessel’s presence in the SCS, reported days after China’s biggest coast guard vessel known as its monster ship was spotted within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

Last year, the Philippine Navy conducted several multilateral maritime cooperative activities with the US and other allied nations in the West Philippine Sea.

China has been claiming almost the entire SCS despite a 2016 arbitral award invalidating its claims and despite repeated calls from various nations for it to stop its harassment of Philippine vessels in the region.

AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., in his speech during on the AFP’s 89th anniversary last month, said the military “has been undaunted in asserting our sovereignty” with the help of the country’s allies.

“With modernized tools and strategic international partnerships, we carry on in strengthening our maritime presence, securing our exclusive economic zone, and upholding the principles of international law,” he said.

Meanwhile, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela accused China of trumpeting “self-serving interpretation of international law.”

China’s national English language newspaper Global Times published an article last Jan. 6, maintaining that China has sovereign rights over the “territorial waters and surrounding areas of Huangyan Dao,” Beijing’s name for Panatag Shoal.

It added “The law enforcement activities conducted by the CCG (China Coast Guard) in the waters near Huangyan Dao are entirely justified.”

In response to the Global Times article, Tarriela