US Aircraft Carriers Return to South China Sea Amid Rising Tensions

For the second time in two weeks, the United States has deployed two aircraft carriers to the South China Sea

The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz receives fuel from the Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler USNS Tippecanoe during an underway replenishment in the South China Sea on July 7, 2020. U.S. Navy/Christopher Bosch/Handout via Reuters

HANOI—For the second time in two weeks, the United States has deployed two aircraft carriers to the South China Sea, the U.S. Navy said on Friday, as China and the United States accuse each other of stoking tensions in the region.

The USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan carried out operations and military exercises in the contested waterway between July 4 and July 6, and returned to the region on Friday, according to a U.S. Navy statement.