In Beijing's backyard, U.S. demonstrates its military might - Reuters

ABOARD THE NIMITZ, South China Sea, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Over a fewer hours nether grey skies, dozens of combat planes and helicopters roar connected and disconnected the formation platform of the craft bearer Nimitz, successful a objection of U.S. subject powerfulness successful immoderate of the world's astir hotly contested waters.

MH-60 Seahawk helicopters and F/A-18 Hornet jets bearing aviator telephone signs similar "Fozzie Bear", "Pig Sweat" and "Bongoo" emit deafening screams arsenic they onshore successful the drizzle connected the Nimitz, which is starring a bearer onslaught radical that entered the South China Sea 2 weeks ago.

The group's commander, Rear Admiral Christopher Sweeney, said the circuit was portion of a U.S. committedness to uphold state of transition successful the waters and airspace of a portion captious to planetary trade.

"We are going to sail, alert and run wherever planetary norms and rules allow. We're going to bash that safely and we're going to beryllium resolute astir that," Sweeney told Reuters connected Friday.

"It's truly conscionable astir sailing and operating evidently with our allies and partners successful the country and assuring them of escaped and unfastened commerce and commercialized successful the Indo-Pacific."

A U.S. beingness successful the South China Sea, a conduit for astir $3.4 trillion of yearly trade, has been welcomed by allies similar Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Australia, but it continues to rile rival China, which sees the exercises arsenic provocations successful its backyard.

China claims historical jurisdiction implicit astir the full South China Sea, which includes the exclusive economical zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines.

Beijing has been conducting regular exercises excessively and maintains a ample beingness of seashore defender and sportfishing vessels acold disconnected its mainland - a root of predominant hostility with its neighbours.

The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group 11 includes the guided-missile cruiser Bunker Hill and the guided-missile destroyers Decatur, Wayne E. Meyer and Chung-Hoon. The Chung-Hoon connected Jan. 5 sailed done the sensitive Taiwan Strait, irking China.

That came 2 weeks aft a Chinese navy J-11 fighter pitchy caused alarm erstwhile it came wrong 10 feet (3 metres) of a U.S. Air Force level implicit the South China Sea.

Sweeney said it was important for planetary rules to beryllium followed and said the U.S. beingness successful the South China Sea demonstrated its committedness to its determination allies.

"We've operated successful the aforesaid assemblage of h2o arsenic the Chinese oregon the Singaporean navy oregon the Filipino navy since we've arrived and it's each been harmless and professional," helium said.

"We're going to sail, alert and run wherever planetary waters let america to, truthful we're not going anywhere."

Reporting by Joseph Campbell; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Jonathan Oatis

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