A group of US ships, led by the USS Theodore Roosevelt, practiced together with Japan and South Korea for two days. At the same time, US President Joe Biden was talking with leaders from Japan and the Philippines at the White House. The military and diplomatic actions are meant to make the partners stronger together in response to what they see as China’s aggressive military actions in the region.
Several warships from the US, South Korea, and Japan are training together in the East China Sea, where there is concern about China’s claims to the area. The Associated Press and some other news groups were given a close-up view of the drills.
Rear Adm Christopher Alexander, who is in charge of a group of ships, said that three countries practiced fighting underwater, stopping boats at sea, finding and rescuing people, and working together to share information. He said on Thursday that doing these drills will make it easier for the United States and its friends to talk to each other and get ready for a problem in the area.
F/A-18E Super Hornet jets flew off the carrier’s deck, and it also had anti-submarine MH-60R Seahawk helicopters. Reporters were brought by plane for more than an hour from Kadena Air Base, which is the main center for US Pacific air power. Kadena is located on the southern island of Okinawa in Japan. It is where about half of the 50,000 American soldiers in Japan are based.
“Things are very busy right now and there’s a lot happening in the world,” Alexander said. This exercise is important because three countries and their navies all want peace, security, and stability in the western Pacific.
The Chinese government in Beijing is upset with Japan for their actions during their Prime Minister’s meetings in Washington. They met with a Japanese Embassy official to express their concerns.
Earlier, China said the US and Japan were saying bad things about China and that they should stop causing trouble in the region. China also said it will strongly protect its security and development.
Japan and South Korea worked together in a practice event, showing that their relationship is getting better. The friendship between the two countries has sometimes been shaky because Korea remembers when Japan controlled it for 35 years. Washington wants them to work together so the three countries can better handle problems from China and North Korea.
The President of South Korea’s party lost a big election this week. He wants to have better relations with Japan. This might make it harder for him to be Japan-friendly, but most experts think the relationship between the two countries will stay the same.
The training exercises were about making sure the three countries can work together better to deal with North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats, according to South Korea’s navy. The navies practiced finding and stopping North Korean submarines and stopping them from moving illegal weapons.
The recent navy practice is a part of Biden’s effort to strengthen security and diplomacy with countries in the Indo-Pacific region. Biden asked Kishida and Marcos to come to the White House for their first three-way talks on Thursday. He said the US will definitely support its allies in the Pacific.
China and the Philippines are having more problems because their coast guard ships keep fighting in the South China Sea. Chinese coast guard boats often come near islands in the East China Sea that Japan controls, and Taiwan also claims.
Beijing said it is just doing its work in the South China Sea and that the United States is causing problems. The leader of China, Xi Jinping, talked with important people from Vietnam, Russia, and Taiwan this week.
US and Japan-South Korea navy exercises happened after joint drills in the South China Sea with Japan, US, Australia, and the Philippines. The people in the exercises didn’t talk about China. They said they were doing the exercises to keep the Indo-Pacific peaceful and stable.
A spokesperson from China’s Defense Ministry said on Friday that China’s actions in the South China Sea are justified, legal, and cannot be criticized. The spokesperson also accused the US of showing off its power in the region and creating groups against China.
“This behavior is not responsible and very risky,” said Senior Col. Wu Qian wrote a message on the internet.
The South China Sea is an important place for trade and has been a source of arguments for a long time. Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Taiwan are worried governments.