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Associated Press

A US Navy flagship has sailed through the South China Sea, with its commander renewing a US vow to “sail, fly and operate wherever the law allows us to” amid China’s objection to US military presence in the disputed sea.
Captain Eric Anduze, commander of the USS Blue Ridge, said that the visit was the latest affirmation of the strong US-Philippine alliance.
“We have a long history ... we’re here to let you know that that partnership is stronger than ever,” Anduze said on board the US 7th Fleet’s command and control ship which anchored at Manila Bay on Wednesday.
Asked if his contingent has encountered the Chinese navy in the region, Anduze said that it had, adding that “all of our interactions were safe and professional”.

“We sail, fly and operate wherever the law allows us to,” he said.
Navy Vice Admiral Phil Sawyer, commander of the Japan-based 7th Fleet, said in a statement the Blue Ridge’s Manila visit strengthens “our shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific”.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during a visit to Manila early this month that the United States was committed to ensuring the South China Sea remained open to all kinds of navigation and that “China does not pose a threat” of closing the disputed sea lanes.




Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang reacted in Beijing by saying China and countries around the South China Sea were committed to maintaining regional peace and stability, citing efforts to negotiate a “code of conduct” aimed at preventing disputes from escalating.
“If countries outside the region, such as the United States, really keep in mind the peace and well-being of the regional people, they should not stir up troubles in the region,” Lu said.


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The Philippines

US Navy flagship visits Manila after sailing in contested South China Sea

The USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19), the U.S. 7th Fleet Flagship, is anchored off Manila Bay west of Manila, Philippines for a routine port call Wednesday, March 13, 2019. Capt. Eric Anduze, Commander of the USS Blue Ridge, renewed an American vow to "sail, fly and operate wherever the law allows us to" amid China's objection to U.S. military presence in the disputed South China Sea. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

US Navy Captain Eric Anduze, Commander of the USS Blue Ridge. Photo: AP

Philip Davidson, the top US officer in Asia, warns Beijing’s military activity in South China Sea is ‘not reducing in any sense of the word’

Admiral Philip Davidson. Photo: AP

FIEL - In this June 26, 2018, file photo, the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan anchors off Manila Bay for a goodwill visit in Manila, Philippines. The U.S. military has deployed the third aircraft carrier this year to patrol the South China Sea, where Washington has criticized China's military buildup on new man-made islands. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, File)

US more likely than the Philippines to end up in ‘shooting war’ in South China Sea, says defence chief Delfin Lorenzana

A Philippine navy frigate anchored near Thitu Island. Photo: AFP

Delfin Lorenzana, the Philippines' defense secretary, speaks during an interview in Manila, the Philippines, on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017. Fears that U.S. President Donald Trump will start a war with China over disputed territory in the South China Sea are overblown, Lorenzana said. Photographer: Taylor Weidman/Bloomberg

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, greets U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo upon arrival at Villamor Air Base in suburban Pasay city southeast of Manila, Philippines, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. Pompeo, who joined U.S. President Donald Trump in the second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam, is here for talks on the two countries' relations as well as the mutual defense treaty. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, POOL)

US promises to defend the Philippines from ‘armed attack’ in South China Sea, as Manila mulls review of defence treaty

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell during a divisional tactics exercise in the South China Sea, January 15, 2019. Photo taken January 15, 2019. Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class John Harris/U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, and Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, right, speak together at Colonel Jesus Villamor Airbase in Manila, Philippines, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)

Philippines Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr (L) speaks beside US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a news conference at the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs Home Office in Manila on March 1, 2019. (Photo by Andrew Harnik / POOL / AFP)

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jnr and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Photo: AP

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Captain Eric Anduze, the commander of the USS Blue Ridge, said the visit to Manila reaffirmed strong US-Philippine military ties
‘We sail, fly and operate wherever the law allows us to,’ he told reporters


The USS Blue Ridge encountered Chinese navy in the region, but Captain Eric Anduze said ‘all of our interactions were safe and professional’.


South China Sea

United States

Defence

Diplomacy