South China Sea Tensions: US Flies Spy Plane Close To Chinese Naval Base Amid Live-Fire Drills
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Chinese media say the near-shore patrols help U.S. planes gather intelligence on PLA
A report says China has had militia presence at Whitsun Reef for over a year
A U.S. spy plane is reported to have buzzed the Chinese coast Tuesday amid the live-fire exercises carried out by PLA s Liaoning aircraft carrier strike group.
This is one of the several warplanes that have flown close to Chinese territorial waters in the last few days, reports South China Morning Post, quoting Beijing-based think tank.
Chinese vessels present at Julian Felipe Reef since February 2020— US think tank
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5 Chinese vessels in Julian Felipe Reef, boat in 2019 collision from same operator, says US think tank
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Beijing has a navy it doesn t even admit exists, experts say. And it s swarming parts of the South China Sea
Updated 6:17 AM ET, Tue April 13, 2021
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows Chinese vessels in the Whitsun Reef located in the disputed South China Sea. Tuesday, March 23, 2021.
Hong Kong (CNN)They ve been dubbed China s Little Blue Men, an allegedly Beijing-controlled maritime militia that analysts say could be hundreds of boats and thousands of crew members strong.
China doesn t acknowledge their existence and when questioned, refers to them as a so-called maritime militia.
But Western experts say the alleged militia is an integral part of Beijing s efforts to exert its territorial claims in the South China Sea and beyond. They claim its blue-painted vessels and their crews allegedly funded and controlled by the People s Liberation Army can quickly bring a Chinese presence so large around disputed reefs and islands they are a