Tensions are escalating as China and the US have set on intensifying their aggressions in the South China Sea (SCS). China launched a series of war games near the Paracel Islands from July 1-5 in an attempt to display its imperialist might. The Paracel Islands is a territory being claimed by Vietnam. A day earlier, the USS Gabrielle Giffords sailed in the area.

Simultaneously, the US also displayed its force by launching its own war games in the area. The US dubbed the said military exercise “the biggest of its kind.” The said war games participated in by the USS Nimitz at USS Ronald Reagan, which are both considered as “floating military bases,” as well as bomber planes which have flown to the area from US airports since July 4. Earlier, the two warships, along with the USS Theodore Roosevelt were seen in the eastern part of the Philippines. The USS Theodore Roosevelt remains in this area as the US continues to display its force in the SCS. The US conducts these war games under the guise of defending “freedom of navigation” to win the support of countries which oppose Chinese military aggression.

These aggressive actions are part of the US and China’s positioning of equipment and troops to pursue their respective strategic insterests in the Asia-Pacific region.