US Navy to Recover F-35 Warplane that Fell into South China Sea
The U.S. Navy said on Tuesday it was making arrangements to recover an F-35C warplane that fell into the South China Sea after a landing mishap this week.Seven U.S. military personnel were hurt in Monday's accident on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and the pilot ejected, the Navy said."I can confirm the aircraft impacted the flight deck during landing and subsequently fell to the water," said Lieutenant Nicholas Lingo, spokesperson for the U.S. 7th Fleet."The U.S.
China Condemns Latest US Warship Transit of Taiwan Strait
China condemned the United States on Wednesday as the region's greatest security "risk creator" after a U.S. warship again sailed through the sensitive waterway that separates Taiwan from China.The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur conducted a "routine Taiwan Strait transit" on Tuesday in accordance with international law."The ship's transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open…
China Says US Military in South China Sea Not Good for Peace
The United States often sends ships and aircraft into the South China Sea to “flex its muscles” and this is not good for peace, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday, after a U.S. aircraft carrier group sailed into the disputed waterway.The strategic South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade flows each year, has long been a focus of contention between Beijing and Washington, with China particularly angered by U.S. military activity there.The U.S. carrier group led by the USS Theodore Roosevelt and accompanied by three warships…
US Sails Warship Near Taiwan
The U.S. navy said on Thursday it had sailed a guided-missile destroyer through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, a week before Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s inauguration for a second term in office amid rising tension with China.China, which considers Taiwan its territory, has been angered by the Trump administration’s strong support for the island, such as increased arms sales.Beijing-Washington ties have also been buffeted by fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and disputes over trade.The U.S.
Japan warns China over East China Sea
Japan summons China envoy twice in five days; rising number of Chinese ships sailing near disputed islands. Japan warned China on Tuesday that ties were deteriorating over disputed East China Sea islets, and China's envoy in Tokyo reiterated Beijing's stance that the specks of land were its territory and called for talks to resolve the dispute. The diplomatic tussle comes amid simmering tension as China builds on outposts in the contested South China Sea, including what appear to be reinforced aircraft hangars, according to new satellite images. Ties between Asia's two largest economies have been strained in recent days since Japan saw a growing number of Chinese coastguard and other government ships sailing near the East China Sea islets, called the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
China's Manmade Islands Project 'Substantial Offensive Power'
China will be able to project "substantial offensive military power" from artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea's disputed Spratly Islands within months, the director of U.S. national intelligence said. In a Feb. 23 letter to John McCain, chair of the U.S. "Based on the pace and scope of construction at these outposts, China will be able to deploy a range of offensive and defensive military capabilities and support increased PLAN and CCG presence beginning in 2016," Clapper said in the letter released this week, using acronyms for the Chinese navy and coastguard. "Once these facilities are completed by the end of 2016 or early 2017, China will have significant capacity to quickly project substantial offensive military power to the region," Clapper added.
Chinese Ship Searching for Malaysia Plane Detects Signal
A Chinese patrol ship searching for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 detected a pulse signal with a frequency of 37.5 kHz per second in the south Indian Ocean on Saturday, state news agency Xinhua reported. 37.5 kHz per second is currently the international standard frequency for the underwater locator beacon on a plane's "black box". A black box detector deployed by the vessel Haixun 01 picked up the signal at around 25 degrees south latitude and 101 degrees east longitude, Xinhua said. It has yet to be established whether it is related to the missing jet. Xinhua also said a Chinese air force plane spotted a number of white floating objects in the search area. (Reporting by Benjamin Kang Lim; editing by Andrew Roche)
