The Pentagon has ordered a US aircraft carrier to remain in waters near Taiwan, a top White House official said, as China continues to express its anger over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit this week through a significant show of combat power around the island.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered that the “USS Ronald Reagan and the ships in her strike group will remain on station in the general area to monitor the situation,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said at a Thursday briefing.
“We will conduct standard air and maritime transits through the Taiwan Strait in the next few weeks, consistent, again, with our longstanding approach to defending the freedom of the seas and international law,” he added. “And, we will take further steps to demonstrate our commitment to the security of our allies in the region.”
Ahead of Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan earlier this week, the Japan-based USS Ronald Reagan, America’s only forward-deployed carrier, and two other US Navy flattops, amphibious assault ships USS America and USS Tripoli, were reported to be operating in waters near the self-ruled island.
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