The US has deployed two aircraft carrier strike groups to the Pacific, the USS Ronald Reagan, and the USS Nimitz, to protect US security over a second coronavirus outbreak. The two ships boost the US naval presence in the area, further escalating tensions between China and the US. On Tuesday, Taiwan’s defense ministry claimed that several Chinese jet fighters crossed into the country’s air defense identification zone, within close proximity to areas that are considered sensitive for national security.
Japan also reported that Chinese military forces passed through its identification zones. Tensions have risen in the South China Sea as a result. The US deployed the two carriers after the USS Theodore Roosevelt was forced to dock in Guam in late March due to a COVID-19 outbreak on the ship. The outbreak eventually infected nearly 1,200, and one died as a result.
Read More: U.S. Sends Aircraft Carriers as China Makes Waves in the Pacific
