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.
American officials are not so explicit about the meaning of the exercise. But they are clearly disturbed by recent Chinese moves in the South China Sea. On April 3rd China’s coastguard sank a Vietnamese fishing boat near the Paracel islands (see map). On June 10th another one was rammed in the same area by a Chinese ship. In April and May Chinese coastguard vessels harassed West Capella, a Malaysian drillship near Borneo, prompting America and Australia to send warships. In the Spratly archipelago, China’s “maritime militia”, disguised as a fishing flotilla, has been swarming near Thitu, an island controlled by the Philippines but claimed by China. America’s secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has accused China of taking advantage of distraction caused by covid-19 to engage in “provocative behaviour”.
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