A US navy expeditionary “base” has entered the disputed waters of the South China Sea for the first time, a think tank based in Beijing has claimed.
Citing commercial satellite imagery, the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI) tweeted that the USS Miguel Keith, a Lewis B Puller-class expeditionary mobile base, and a guided missile destroyer, had entered the contested sea on Monday. It said this was the first time the amphibious base had entered the sea since the ship was deployed to the western Pacific last October.
The US navy is yet to confirm the report.
China’s foreign ministry has not responded, but Chinese analysts told the
Global Times, a party-run newspaper, that the presence of the 240-metre, 90,000-tonne logistics vessel, which can land heavy helicopters and work as a command and control centre, was alarming.
“China should pay close attention to the USS Miguel Keith’s movements and figure out ways to deal with it, because its presence in the South China Sea could significantly enhance the US military’s operational capabilities in the region,” an unnamed military expert told the newspaper.
The SCSPI said the warship, a new type of strategic platform, was likely to join more military drills and events in the South China Sea.