Military activity in the South China Sea spiked over the weekend as a Chinese aircraft carrier entered the region and a U.S. Navy expeditionary strike group wrapped up exercises.
Meanwhile, the U.S. and Philippines were preparing for joint drills as the U.S. secretary of defense proposed ways to deepen military cooperation between Washington and Manila after China massed vessels in disputed waters.
China’s state-run Global Times on Sunday said the country’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, steamed into the South China Sea on Saturday after completing a week of naval exercises around Taiwan. There was no official announcement of the Liaoning’s position, but the Chinese tabloid cited satellite images first reported by U.S. media outlet The War Zone.
