The website of the US Department of Defense released the latest news on the activities of US warships in the South China Sea on January 5. The USS Chafee destroyer has recently carried out flight operations and ammunition loading training in the South China Sea. In addition, according to information released by the relevant think tank platform, the satellite spotted a US warship in the waters south of the Paracel Islands on January 4. According to the platform, it may be the destroyer "Chafi".
DvidsHub, a website under the U.S. Department of Defense, announced on January 5 that the US Navy’s destroyer "Chaffee" carried out training in the South China Sea on January 3 and 4, including the take-off and landing operations of carrier helicopters and torpedo maintenance. Training with filling. The U.S. Navy also reiterated that the destroyer "Chaffee" is currently deploying as planned in the area of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, and at the same time as a combat readiness force "providing support for the free and open Indo-Pacific region."
According to information released on January 5 by the "South China Sea Strategic Situational Awareness" program platform, on January 4, the "Sentinel" satellite spotted an "Arleigh Burke"-class destroyer of the US Navy in the waters south of the Paracel Islands. Based on the judgment of open source information, the satellite captured may be the "Chafi", and whether it will break into the 12 nautical miles of the Chinese stationed islands and reefs needs to be closely watched.
U.S. warships have made frequent small movements in the South China Sea recently. The destroyer "Chaffee" carried out sea resupply operations in the South China Sea on December 29, 2020. The US Navy's "John Erickson" supply ship provided supplies for it; on December 30, 2020, The crew of the destroyer "Chafi" also carried out equipment maintenance and firefighting training.
In addition to the destroyer "Chaffee", the Littoral Combat Ship "Tulsa" of the US Navy has also been active in the South China Sea recently. According to information released by the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the Littoral Combat Ship "Tulsa" conducted carrier-based aircraft night take-off and landing training in the South China Sea on December 19, and conducted maritime resupply on December 23, 2020. On the night of December 23, it traveled from the South China Sea to the Philippine Sea via the Strait of San Bernardino.
Regarding the activities of U.S. warships in the South China Sea and other related issues, the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, Colonel Tan Kefei, once stated that the U.S., as an extraterritorial country, ignores international law and basic norms of international relations, and often shows off its force in the South China Sea under the guise of "freedom of navigation.", Constantly undermining the efforts of countries in the region to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, has become a direct driver of tensions in the South China Sea.
The spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, Colonel Wu Qian, also said that with the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries, the overall situation in the South China Sea has stabilized and improved. China respects the freedom of navigation enjoyed by ships of various countries in the South China Sea by international law, but firmly opposes some countries sending warships from far away to use their "sense of existence" for provocative purposes. The Chinese military will take all necessary measures to deal with it resolutely and effectively.
