South China Sea operations reveal that the United States is ‘not pulling back’

The U.S. Navy workout in the challenged South China Sea over the weekend had to do with “showing the flag” and sending out a message to the area, a specialist informed CNBC today. 

Two U.S. carrier carried out operations and workouts in the objected to waters on the Fourth of July “in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the Navy stated in a declaration.

Beijing likewise performed basic training in the South China Sea from July 1 to July 5.

“The U.S. wants to send a message that it’s not backing down, and that it’s still able to do this,” stated Gregory Poling of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Poling, who is the director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at CSIS, stated there had actually been a great deal of “bad press” in China about the United States being not able to maintain provider operations since of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This is about the U.S. saying that we are still in the region,” he informed CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Monday.

The South China Sea has actually been a point of conflict for Beijing and Washington since China is aggressive in declaring much of the area as its own area, while the U.S. promotes liberty of navigation along the sea path. Countries consisting of the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have actually likewise claimed parts of the waterway.

The United States’ most current relocations are “definitely” a message to the area, he stated. Poling kept in mind that a great deal of allies are “very nervous” since China has actually been “pushing on all fronts” over the previous couple of months. That consists of along its border with India, throughout the strait with Taiwan, in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

“(They) want to know whether or not America still has the backbone for this,” he included.

While carrier most likely have “very little to do with a modern fight” in this area, “this is about showing the flag,” Poling stated.

Asked about the possibility of a mistake, he stated the chances are low since neither the U.S. nor China desire a battle, however it cannot be totally marked down.

Beijing’s efforts to stop U.S. liberty of navigation operations have actually ended up being “more and more aggressive,” and China is “highly sensitive” to viewed weak point since of the coronavirus, he stated.

On the other hand, the U.S. is “committed to not being seen as a paper tiger,” he included. “There’s a small but non-zero chance of accidental escalation.”

— CNBC’s Yen Nee Lee added to this report.