Beijing ‘is ready to counter US’ as both navies hold drills in South China Sea

US military says exercises are a response to Beijing’s rising assertiveness and it will not be intimidated by China

Retired PLA naval officer says China will not waver in safeguarding its interests, while Global Times says the sea is fully in the PLA’s grasp

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The US said its drills showed it was committed to regional security and stability. Photo: Handout

Published: 1:37pm, 6 Jul 2020Updated: 11:35pm, 6 Jul 2020

China has accused the United States of having “ulterior motives” in sending two aircraft carrier strike groups to the disputed South China Sea, while its state media reported that Beijing stands ready to counter the challenge posed by Washington.

The US has sent two aircraft carriers, USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz, to the disputed waters for military exercises starting on Saturday – overlapping with drills China is holding in the region.

These drills are some of the US Navy’s biggest in recent years, and it is rare for major US and Chinese military exercises to take place in the same region at the same time.

“They have seen us and we have seen them,” Rear Admiral James Kirk said from the Nimitz.

Contacts with Chinese ships had been without incident, Kirk said.

“We have the expectation that we will always have interactions that are professional and safe,” he said. “We are operating in some pretty congested waters, lots of maritime traffic of all sorts.”

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