Chinese spy ship shadows 3-nation naval drill

OKINAWA (JAPAN): A Chinese observation ship shadowed the powerful US aircraft carrier, John C Stennis, in the Western Pacific on Wednesday, a Japanese official said,

OKINAWA (JAPAN): A Chinese observation ship shadowed the powerful US aircraft carrier, John C Stennis, in the Western Pacific on Wednesday, a Japanese official said, joining warships from Japan and India in drills close to waters Beijing considers its backyard.

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The show of American naval power comes as Japan and the United States worry Beijing will look to extend its influence into the Western Pacific with submarines and surface vessels as it pushes its territorial claims in the neighbouring South China Sea.

Beijing views access to the Pacific as vital both as a supply line to the rest of the world’ s ocean sand for the projection of its naval power.

The 100,000 ton Stennis, which carries F-18 fighter jets, joined nine other naval ships, including a Japanese helicopter carrier and Indian frigates, in seas off the Japanese Okinawan island chain. Sub-hunting patrol planes launched from base sin Japan are also participating in the joint annual exercise dubbed Malabar.

The Stennis, which has been followed by the Chinese ship since patrolling in the South China Sea, will sail apart from the other ships, acting as a “decoy” to draw it away from the eight-day naval exercise, a Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force officer said, declining to be identified because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

Blocking China’s unfettered access to the Western Pacific are the 200 islands stretching from Japan’s main islands through the East China Sea to within 100 kilometres of Taiwan. For India, the gathering is a chance to put on a show of force close to China’s eastern sea board and signal its displeasure at increased Chinese naval activity in the Indian Ocean.