U. S. and British warships have sailed together in the disputed South China Sea for the first time, in exercises likely to stoke anger in…
U. S. and British warships have sailed together in the disputed South China Sea for the first time, in exercises likely to stoke anger in Beijing.
The guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell and Royal Navy frigate HMS Argyll conducted the operations in the strategic waterway over a period of six days from Friday through Wednesday, the The U. S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said in a statement.
The statement said the warships “conducted communication drills, division tactics, and a personnel exchange designed to address common maritime security priorities, enhance interoperability, and develop relationships that will benefit both navies for many years to come.”
The joint exercises in the waters — the first since China built military bases there — come as the British Navy seeks to play a bigger role in the region and has dispatched the Argyll on a tour of Asia.
A U. S. Navy spokesman said there was “no record in recent history of operations together, specifically in the South China Sea,” Reuters reported.
Beijing has constructed a series of military outposts throughout the waterway, which includes vital sea lanes through which about $3 trillion in global trade passes each year.
