Multiple Chinese Military Ships Spotted Near Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, U.S. Coast Guard Says – One America News Network

July 11, 2024 James Meyers US 0

Chinese navy personnel pull a rope to dock Chinese amphibious warfare ship Jinggangshan during a welcome ceremony at the Sihanoukville port in Preah Sihanouk province on May 19, 2024. Two Chinese warships docked in Cambodia on May 19, 2024 as part of the biggest-ever joint military drills with the Southeast Asian nation. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images) — (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN’s James Meyers
8:21 AM – Thursday, July 11, 2024

Chinese Navy warships were spotted in the waters off Alaska, U.S. Coast Guard officials said in a news release on Wednesday.

Three of the warships were detected close to 124 miles north of the Amchitka Pass in the Aleutian Islands, and a fourth vessel was seen 84 miles north of the state’s Amutka Pass. The ships were seen on both Saturday and Sunday of last weekend.

According to the Coast Guard, all four ships were in international waters, but were inside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, which reaches over 200 nautical miles from the U.S. shoreline. In these areas, the United States has exclusive rights for exploring and using marine resources.

The Coast Guard said that both it and the U.S. Northern Command were “fully aware” of the Chinese ships’ progress.

“The Kimball patrolled under Operation Frontier Sentinel, a Coast Guard operation designed to meet presence with presence when strategic competitors operate in and around U.S. waters,” the statement said.

“The Chinese naval presence operated in accordance with international rules and norms,” said Rear Adm. Megan Dean, Seventeenth Coast Guard District commander. “We met presence with presence to ensure there were no disruptions to U.S. interests in the maritime environment around Alaska.”

Meanwhile, the Chinese ships told the Coast Guard their mission was “freedom of navigation operations.” The Kimball monitored the ships until they went south into the North Pacific Ocean.

Additionally, similar incidents have occurred over the past few years. In September 2021 and September 2022, Coast Guard cutters in the area encountered Chinese surface action groups.

In 2023, the U.S. Navy sent four destroyers to the Alaskan coast after 11 Chinese and Russian warships were spotted patrolling in international waters within the Exclusive Economic Zone.

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