U.S. operations in the South China Sea show that Washington is ‘not backing down,’ expert says
U.S. Navy multirole fighter landing on the flight deck of USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) aircraft carrier as it sails in South China Sea Oct. 16, 2019. Catherine Lai | AFP | Getty Images
The U.S. Navy exercise in the disputed South China Sea over the weekend was about "showing the flag" and sending a message to the region, an expert told CNBC this week. Two U.S. aircraft carriers conducted operations and exercises in the contested waters on the Fourth of July "in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific," the Navy said in a statement. Beijing also carried out military training in the South China Sea from July 1 to July 5. "The U.S. wants to send a message that it's not backing down, and that it's still able to do this," said Gregory Poling of the Center for Strategic and International Studies....









