Chinese state media said Saturday the double US aircraft carrier deployment to the South China Sea is 'at their pleasure'.
In a tweet The Global Times also warned: 'China has a wide selection of anti-aircraft carrier weapons like DF-21D and DF-26 "aircraft carrier killer" #missiles.'
Two U.S. aircraft carriers were conducting exercises in the disputed South China Sea on Saturday, the U.S. navy had said, as China also carried out military drills that have been criticized by the Pentagon and neighboring states.
The state run Global Times said analysts noted and they could destroy the carriers at any moment with missiles in a chilling threat.
The paper wrote: 'The South China Sea is fully within the grasp of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), and any US aircraft carrier movement in the region is solely at the pleasure of the PLA, which has a wide selection of anti-aircraft carrier weapons like the DF-21D and DF-26 "aircraft carrier killer" missiles.'
Chinese state media shared these images Saturday and said the double US aircraft carrier deployment to the South China Sea is 'at their pleasure'
The state run Global Times said analysts noted and they could destroy the carriers at any moment with missiles in a chilling threat, posting these images
China and the United States have each accused the other of stoking tension in the strategic waterway at a time of strained relations over everything from the new coronavirus to trade to Hong Kong.
The USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan were carrying out operations and exercises in the South China Sea 'to support a free and open Indo-Pacific,' the navy said in a statement.
It did not say exactly where the exercises were being conducted in the South China Sea, which extends for some 900 miles and 90 per cent of which is claimed by China despite the protests of its neighbors.
'The purpose is to show an unambiguous signal to our partners and allies that we are committed to regional security and stability,' Rear Admiral George M. Wikoff was quoted as saying by the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the exercises.
Wikoff, commander of the strike group led by the Ronald Reagan, said the exercises were not a response to those being conducted by China, which the Pentagon criticized this week as 'counter-productive to efforts at easing tensions and maintaining stability'.
China dismissed the U.S. criticism of its drills on Friday and suggested the United States was to blame for increasing tensions.
'The purpose is to show an unambiguous signal to our partners and allies that we are committed to regional security and stability,' Rear Admiral George M. Wikoff was quoted as saying by the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the exercises.
Wikoff, commander of the strike group led by the Ronald Reagan, said the exercises were not a response to those being conducted by China, which the Pentagon criticized this week as 'counter-productive to efforts at easing tensions and maintaining stability'.
China dismissed the U.S. criticism of its drills on Friday and suggested the United States was to blame for increasing tensions.
The navy did not say exactly where the exercises were being conducted in the South China Sea, which extends for some 900 miles and 90 per cent of which is claimed by China despite the protests of its neighbors
The flagship of Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, USS Nimitz, pictured the Philippine Sea on June 23
The USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan, pictured in October last, were carrying out operations and exercises in the South China Sea 'to support a free and open Indo-Pacific,' the navy said in a statement
U.S. carriers have long carried out exercises in the Western Pacific, including in the South China Sea, according to the U.S. Navy. At one point recently, the United States had three carriers in the region.
China announced last week it had scheduled five days of drills starting July 1 near the Paracel Islands, which are claimed by both Vietnam and China.
Vietnam and the Philippines have also criticized the Chinese drills, warning they could create tension in the region and impact Beijing's relationship with its neighbors.
The United States accuses China of trying to intimidate Asian neighbors who might want to exploit its extensive oil and gas reserves. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also lay claim to parts of the South China Sea, through which about $3 trillion of trade passes each year.
The U.S. statement said the naval exercises gave commanders the flexibility and capabilities 'that only the U.S. Navy can command'.
