China says Navy Conducted Routine Operations in Area of US Joint Drills
A Chinese naval vessel was conducting routine operations in the Western Pacific at the time of U.S. joint drills with Japan and India, the country's Defence Ministry said on Thursday, responding to claims that the ship shadowed a U.S. aircraft carrier.
A Chinese observation ship shadowed the U.S. aircraft carrier John C. Stennis, its commander said on Wednesday, as it was joining up with warships from Japan and India for drills close to waters Beijing considers its backyard.
"It is understood that a Chinese naval vessel carried out normal navigation and training in relevant waters on (Wednesday)," the defence ministry said on its official microblog, in a one-line response to a question.
The drills came as Japan and the United States worry that China is extending its influence in the Western Pacific as it pushes territorial claims in the adjacent South China Sea, where it is expanding and building islands.
China has been angered by what it views as provocative U.S. military patrols close to the islands. The United States says the patrols are to protect freedom of navigation.
The Japanese government also said that a separate Chinese naval ship entered its territorial waters on Wednesday. China said it was acting within the law and following the principle of freedom of navigation.
(Reporting by Jake Spring)
