A US aircraft carrier group led by USS Theodore Roosevelt has entered the South China Sea to promote “freedom of the seas,” the American military said on Sunday, as Taiwan reported that another large flight of Chinese warplanes entered its air defense identification zone for the second day in a row. The US Indo-Pacific Command said the strike group comprising the Roosevelt, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill, and the Arleigh Burkeclass guided-missile destroyers USS Russell and USS John Finn entered the South China Sea on Saturday, the same day Taiwan reported the first large incursion of Chinese bombers and fighter jets near the Taipei-controlled Pratas Islands. A total of 15 Chinese aircraft, including 12 fighter jets, were included in Sunday’s incursion, the defense ministry said.

US warships in South China Sea as Beijing ups Taiwan pressure. (2021, January 25). Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A7.