Published 07:34 IST, August 27th 2020
China fires ‘aircraft-carrier killer’ missile in South China Sea to warn US: Reports
According to reports, China's recent flexing of muscle was meant for the United States and not for the neighbouring countries in the South China Sea.
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China is reported to have launched two missiles into the South China Sea as a warning to the United States on Wednesday, August 26. The move comes a day after the United States sent its U-2 spy plane in a no-fly zone while the Communist state was conducting the live-fire drill.
According to South China Morning Post reports, one of the two missiles that China fired on Wednesday was "aircraft carrier killer". It also adds that the missiles were fired into an area between Hainan province and Paracel islands, a disputed archipelago in the highly contested South China Sea. The missiles are reported to have been fired from Qinghai province and Zhejiang province in China.
According to reports, China's recent flexing of muscle was meant for the United States and not for the neighbouring countries in the South China Sea. Song Zhongping, a Hong Kong-based military expert, while talking to the press said that it was a way for China to tell the United States that it cannot do anything with the aircraft carriers it has sent in the region as the country is militarily capable of handling it.
The United States has deployed aircraft carriers in the South China Sea, including various jets and vessels, allegedly to keep a close watch on China. However, the United States maintains that it is there to preserve peace and stability as well as uphold the freedom of navigation and maritime laws.
As per reports, an estimated $3 trillion worth of goods pass through the South China Sea every year, making it important to keep the region dispute free. China has been building artificial islands in these waters in order to stake claim to the oil and gas-rich seabed.
US-China relations
Meanwhile, relations between Beijing and Washington have deteriorated over a period of time and the tensions between the two nations have escalated in the recent past, ever since the coronavirus pandemic broke out in China.
Apart from the conflict on various military and foreign policy issues, the two countries are also at loggerheads over bilateral trade, imposing tariffs on each other. China and the United States are currently negotiating a trade deal that has been put on hold by President Donald Trump because of the upcoming presidential elections in the country.
07:34 IST, August 27th 2020