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Top Philippine officials fly to U.S. carrier in South China Sea

America has vowed to help keep open the disputed waters

By Associated Press
Published: March 4, 2017, 6:51pm
2 Photos
A commercial ship sails across the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) which is on patrol off the disputed South China Sea Friday, March 3, 2017. The U.S.
A commercial ship sails across the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) which is on patrol off the disputed South China Sea Friday, March 3, 2017. The U.S. military took journalists Friday to the carrier on routine patrol off the disputed South China Sea, sending a signal to China and American allies of its resolve to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight in one of the world's security hotspots.(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) Photo Gallery

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine defense chief and two other Cabinet members on Saturday toured a U.S. aircraft carrier patrolling the disputed South China Sea on the invitation of the Navy, U.S. Embassy officials said.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II visited the USS Carl Vinson along with three Philippine security officials, said U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Molly Koscina.

The visit shows continuing top-level engagements between Philippine officials and the U.S. military despite Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s threat to scale back engagements with American forces while reaching out to China and Russia. There was no immediate reaction from China, which had opposed U.S. patrols in waters it has claimed virtually in its entirety.

The U.S. ambassador to Manila, Sung Kim, accompanied the Philippine officials to the Carl Vinson, where they watched F18 fighter jets land and take off on catapult on the flight deck and met U.S. Navy commanders in charge of the 95,000-ton carrier as it sailed in the disputed waters, Koscina said.

U.S. Navy officials told a small group of journalists who were flown to the Carl Vinson on Friday that the U.S. warship deployment was aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, a key waterway for global commerce and security.

“We will be here,” Rear Adm. James Kilby told the journalists, including those from The Associated Press. “We’re going to continue to demonstrate that international waters are waters where everyone can sail, where everyone can conduct commerce and merchant traffic.”

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