An American aircraft carrier is docked for a four-day visit in the Philippines. The USS America just completed a joint exercise with Japan’s maritime force.
After passing through the South China Sea en route to the Philippines, Chinese vessels were spotted, but no conflicts broke out.
The two countries are currently locked in a territorial dispute over islands in the oil-rich sea. China considers almost all of the South China Sea as its own. That claim was ruled invalid by an international court.