U.S., China simultaneously conduct drills in disputed South China Sea amid heightened tensions

U.S.S. Ronald Reagan.
(Image credit: CATHERINE LAI/AFP via Getty Images)

The United States Navy said Saturday that two of its aircraft carriers — the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan and U.S.S. Nimitz — were conducting exercises in the South China Sea, most of which is claimed by China despite objections from neighboring Southeast Asian countries. The exercises by the two U.S. carriers, as well as four other warships, reportedly include flights testing the striking ability of carrier-based aircraft.

The Navy said the purpose of the operations is to unambiguously "signal to our partners and allies" that the U.S. is "committed to regional security and stability" rather than serve as a response to exercises conducted by China nearby. It's no secret, though, that the strategic waterway has long been a point of tension between the two powers whose relationship is deteriorating over a trade war, the coronavirus pandemic, and Beijing's recent crackdown on Hong Kong's autonomy.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.