China’s next move in the South China Sea
Is it about to claim the skies above it?
THE LAST time that three American aircraft-carriers prowled the Pacific Ocean was in 2017, shortly after President Donald Trump had threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea. In mid-June a trio of carriers returned—the USS Ronald Reagan and USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Philippine Sea and USS Nimitz farther east. Together they brought more fighter jets than most countries in Asia possess. Chinese commentators had little doubt what the point was this time: to show China that despite covid-19, America still has muscle.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Identify yourself”
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