Tensions Rise as U.S. and Chinese Military Conduct Drills Near Taiwan

Both US and Chinese aircraft carriers are operating near Taiwan amid political tensions following a Taiwanese presidential meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group and a Marine Amphibious Readiness Group are conducting routine operations in the Philippine Sea, while the Shandong Carrier Strike Group launched 80 J-15 Flying Shark fighter missions from Friday through Sunday from People’s Liberation Army Navy carrier CNS Shandong. Meanwhile, a US guided-missile destroyer sailed past a Chinese artificial island in the South China Sea, drawing the ire of Beijing.