South China Sea: US strike group, Japanese warship in joint drills

Name: China and Russia conduct joint naval drills in Sea of Japan
Uploaded: 2021-10-27T04:00:28.000Z
Duration: 1 min 29 s
Description: China and Russia conduct joint naval drills in Sea of Japan

They will carry out flight operations, coordinated tactical training and maritime strike exercises, US Navy says

It comes days after China and Russia wrapped up exercises that were seen as an effort to counter pressure from US and its allies

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The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier is part of a joint naval drill in the South China Sea. Photo: AP

Minnie Chan

Published: 12:00pm, 27 Oct 2021

A US aircraft carrier strike group is conducting joint exercises with a Japanese helicopter destroyer in the South China Sea, days after China and Russia wrapped up drills in the region.

The USS Carl Vinson and its strike group are in the contested waters for the exercises with the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force’s JS Kaga. They will carry out flight operations, coordinated tactical training between surface and air units, and maritime strike exercises, the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet said in a statement on Monday.

It comes after China and Russia conducted joint patrols, an anti-submarine exercise and a first joint passage through the Tsugaru Strait in the Japanese archipelago, in what was seen as a move to counter pressure from the US and its allies.

Rear Admiral Daniel Martin, commander of the USS Carl Vinson strike group, said in the statement that bilateral operations were a “key component in our collective maritime readiness”.

“The Indo-Pacific is a dynamic region and by continuing to conduct routine operations with our allies and partners throughout international waters and airspace, we demonstrate our unwavering commitment to upholding international law, on the sea and in the air, and to ensuring that all nations can do the same without fear or contest,” he said.

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China and Russia conduct joint naval drills in Sea of Japan

According to Cheung Mong, an associate professor with the School of International Liberal Studies at Waseda University in Japan, the US Navy was highlighting its alliance with Japan in response to the recent activity by China and Russia.