US aircraft carrier the USS Carl Vinson has started what it calls “routine operations” in the South China Sea, with a fleet of supporting warships. The deployment comes days after China’s foreign ministry warned Washington against challenging Beijing’s sovereignty in the region. China claims several contested shoals, islets and reefs ... Read More »

China’s air force sent bombers and fighter jets on “combat patrols” near contested islands in the South China Sea, in a move a senior colonel said was part of an effort to normalise such drills and respond to security threats. The exercises come at a time of heightened tension in ... Read More »