Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao recently reported that the US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan will dock in the central Vietnamese port city of Da Nang on June 25, for six days. The USS Ronald Reagan is the ninth ship of the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. While the situation in the South China Sea remains tense, it is very rare for a US warship to call at the port of this Southeast Asian country. The Ronald Reagan was the third US aircraft carrier to visit Vietnam after the Vietnam War. In 2020, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, the fourth ship of the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, docked in Vietnam. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, which includes the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam and other countries in the region. The South China Sea is an important waterway for international routes. American aircraft carriers often pass through this resource-rich sea area and Chinese warships often track and monitor them. The Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong fleet sailed southwest of the Taiwan Strait only a few days ago.
Source: Lianhe Zaobao, June 23, 2023
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/world/story20230623-1407046