China unhappy with US aircraft carrier’s visit to Vietnam, state media says
Beijing’s ‘vigilance and unhappiness are inevitable’ Global Times says in an editorial, but describes visit as a waste of money
Beijing is unhappy with the visit of a US aircraft carrier to a Vietnamese port, the first by such a vessel since the Vietnam war, and is monitoring developments, according to a state newspaper report on Wednesday.
But the USS Carl Vinson’s visit is unlikely to alter the balance of power in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety and has been fortifying with military structures on man-made islands, Global Times said.
“China’s vigilance and unhappiness are inevitable, but we don’t think that the USS Carl Vinson’s Vietnam trip can stir up troubles in the South China Sea,” the paper known for its hard-line nationalist views said in an editorial.
The visit “will not generate any special tools to pressure China”, while the US sending warships to the South China Sea will “only waste money”, the paper said.