Pentagon spokesman Bill Urban on Wednesday confirmed the presence of the five vessels, noting that it is the first time the U.S. has observed Chinese Navy ships in the Bering Sea.
"We respect the freedom of all nations to operate military vessels in international waters in accordance with international law," he said, adding that the U.S. military is tracking the ships.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said U.S. officials have not detected any "threatening activities" by the ships, but said the intent of their presence was "still unclear."
The Chinese ship deployment came as President Barack Obama visited to Alaska to build support for his environmental policies to combat climate change.
But it is not likely Beijing planned the deployment to coincide with President Obama's trip, said Ralph Cossa with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"I would guess that their presence during Obama's visit is coincidental more than deliberate. Because deployment like that is normally planned months in advance and I don't think anyone knew Obama was going to be in Alaska until a few days ago," Cossa told VOA.
However, the presence of the ships is meant to send a message to the U.S., he added.
"What it's saying is that at some point the Chinese are going to be just as obnoxious as we are when it comes to sailing around in international waters close to the other country's shores, and we should get used to it," he said.
The U.S. military has numerous bases in Asia and regularly conducts various air- and ship-based activities off China's coasts in international waters.
"And China has repeatedly expressed its concerns about that," said VOA Beijing correspondent William Ide. "It feels like China's trying to say if you're going to continue to do this, we're going to do the same."
U.S. officials say the Chinese flotilla is made up of three surface warfare ships, one amphibious assault ship, and a replenishment vessel.
If that is the case, the deployment represents less of a threat, and more of a projection of power, according to Scott Harold of the RAND Corporation.
"A replenishment vessel says to me this is in part a demonstration of its capacity to operate far from their shores," Harold told VOA.
"And an amphibious assault vessel would be absurd as a threat. No one is going to invade the United States by ground or by sea, much less are they going to do it in Alaska. But it is a symbol of China's ability to project naval or amphibious forces at some distance from China," he said.
The deployment fits a larger pattern by China's navy, which is rapidly modernizing and attempting to venture out well beyond its shores.
And even though it does not border the resource-rich polar region, Beijing has made it clear that it wants to be regarded internationally as a "near-Arctic power," said Harold.
"Chinese leaders have clearly recognized that the resources that may be in the Arctic, the sea lines of communications that transit through the Arctic passageways that may open up as the ice melts are of tremendous potential value to China," he said.
Underscoring the strategic importance of the Arctic, President Obama this week used his Alaskan tour to push lawmakers to speed up construction of a new heavy icebreaker ship that can navigate the region year-round.
The U.S. has just two functioning icebreakers, while Russia has 41. China unveiled its own icebreaker vessel in 2012, and plans to finish construction of another by 2016.
voanews.com
3/9/15
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Related:
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Obama to Announce Expansion of US Ice-Breaker Fleet in Arctic
Arctic Nations to Discuss Immediate Region Issues in Alaska
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Five Chinese naval ships are currently positioned in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska, US officials confirm...
ReplyDeleteIt is believed to be the first time Chinese military vessels have been seen operating in the area.
Officials say they have been monitoring the ships' activities, but said they were operating in international waters.
In recent years Beijing has taken a more assertive stance on maritime territorial disputes with Japan and South East Asian nations.
'Not threatening'
US defence officials have spotted three Chinese combat ships, a supply vessel and an amphibious ship moving toward the Aleutian Islands which is split between Russian and US control, according to the Wall Street Journal.
They were seen not far from where US President Barack Obama is visiting as part of his three-day tour of Alaska to raise awareness of the effects of climate change on the state.
"We are aware of the five People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships in the Bering Sea. This is the first time we have observed PLAN ships in the Bering Sea," US defence department spokesman Bill Urban told the BBC on Wednesday.
"We respect the freedom of all nations to operate military vessels in international waters in accordance with international law," he said..........http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34131429
3/9/15
Chinese ships headed home after Bering Sea sighting: U.S. Navy...
ReplyDeleteFive Chinese Navy ships sighted in the Bering Sea off Alaska during a visit to the region by U.S. President Barack Obama have begun their "return transit," the U.S. Navy's top uniformed officer told Reuters on Thursday.
Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert said he did not view the incident, an apparent first for China's military, as unexpected or alarming.
"They already had one of their icebreakers up in that area, and they weren't that far away with an exercise, and they've already started their return transit," he told Reuters in an interview.
Greenert said the ships had been seen in the Bering Sea, close to some Alaskan atolls, on Wednesday, but gave no further details.
The Pentagon confirmed on Wednesday the ships had been sailing in international waters.
China's Defense Ministry, in a statement sent to Reuters on Thursday, said the ships were in the Bering Sea as part of a routine drill following the completion of military exercises with Russia...............reuters.com