TOKYO- Two
U.S bombers flew over the disputed South China Sea, the U.S. Air Force said on
Friday, asserting the right to treat the region as international territory
despite China's claims in the busy waterway.
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The flight
from Guam on Thursday came as U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President
Xi Jinping prepare for a likely meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in
Germany. The two leaders were expected to discuss what Beijing can do to rein
in Pyongyang's missiles and nuclear weapons programs.
The United
States believes North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on
Tuesday that put parts of the U.S. mainland within range of Pyongyang's
warheads for the first time.
China claims
nearly all of the South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion in
ship-borne trade passes each year, a stance contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Beijing usually protests against freedom of
navigation operations such as bomber flights.
The United
States has criticized China's build-up of military facilities in the South
China Sea, concerned that they could be used to extend Beijing's strategic
reach.
The two
Lancers that made the latest flight had earlier trained with Japanese jet
fighters in the neighboring East China Sea, the first time the two forces had
conducted joint night-time drills.
"This
is a clear demonstration of our ability to conduct seamless operations with all
our allies," U.S. Air Force spokesman Major Ryan Simpson said in a
statement.
Two U.S.
B-1B Lancer bombers flew from Guam over the South China Sea last month, while a
U.S. warship carried out a maneuvering drill within 12 nautical miles of one of
China's artificial islands in the waterway in late May.
Reuters*
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