'US strike carrier group enters South China Sea'

The United States Navy has dispatched a small strike carrier fleet to the disputed waters of the South China Sea, media reports say.

The carrier John C. Stennis, two destroyers, two cruisers and the 7th Fleet flagship have sailed into the disputed waters in recent days, according to Navy Times quoting US military officials.

Stennis is joined in the region by the cruisers, Antietam and Mobile Bay, and the destroyers Chung-Hoon and Stockdale. The command ship Blue Ridge, the floating headquarters of the Japan-based 7th Fleet, is also in the area, en route to a port visit in the Philippines. Stennis deployed from Washington State on January 15, the report added.

The news comes amid tensions in the area following American Navy’s so-called freedom of navigation operations in an area contested by regional countries.

Washington has already sparked anger in Beijing by such naval patrols which China deems as incursions and acts of provocation.

The US accuses China of militarizing the South China Sea after reports that the Chinese deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile battery to the Paracel Islands in the region last month.

China has dismissed such claims, saying the Stennis's patrol provides evidence of further US attempts for flare-up of military tensions.

SS