US sends B-52 bombers to conduct drills over the East Sea

The US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) said that two Air Force B-52 bombers and two Navy Poseidon P-8 reconnaissance aircraft conducted training flights in the East Sea on August 1 to improve the ability to coordinate operations between the two forces.Sputniktoday news

The US aircraft took off from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana and flew to the South China Sea before landing at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam. The exercise is likely to last for a second day, as US Air Force images showed a B-52 refueling on August 2.

"The training flight was conducted in airspace governed by international law and considered an area of ​​importance to the founding principles of a rules-based global order," USINDOPACOM affirmed.

In early June, the US also sent two B-52 bombers to fly within 32 km of artificial islands illegally built by China in Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago, causing an angry reaction from Beijing. The Chinese Foreign Ministry called the US action dangerous and said it was not afraid of any Washington ships or planes.

Tensions in the East Sea have increased in recent years after China brazenly claimed sovereignty over most of the East Sea, massively built illegal artificial islands and deployed many modern weapons in Vietnam's Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos. Beijing's actions have drawn strong condemnation from many countries.

The Pentagon announced in mid-June that it was considering a more aggressive freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea. The move could include longer patrols, more ships or reconnaissance near artificial islands illegally built by China. The US Congress on August 3 passed a $716 billion defense bill with provisions considered the toughest against China ever, specifically targeting Beijing's militarization of the South China Sea.