China's two aircraft carriers will be deployed in August near Taiwanese waters for military exercises, according to reports.

The aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong will be deployed together in the Yellow Sea's Bohai Bay for combat readiness drills which could include a simulation of a future assault on Taiwan's Dongsha, or Pratas, Islands, according to the Global Times, Taiwan News and reports from Australia.

The islands consist of three atolls controlled by Taiwan.

China has claimed all of the South China Sea as its own, despite competing claims from countries in the region.

"The United States has a strong interest in preventing China from asserting control over the South China Sea," a report by the non-governmental organization U. S. Council on Foreign Relations said last week.

"Maintaining free and open access to this waterway is not only important for economic reasons, but also to uphold the global norm of freedom of navigation," the report said. "The United States is also at risk of being drawn into a military conflict with China in this region as a result of U.S. defense treaty obligations to at least one of the claimants to the contested territory, the Philippines."

It added that "the risk of a military confrontation in the South China Sea involving the United States and China could rise significantly in the next eighteen months."

It has also been reported that any invasion of the Pratas Islands was no longer part of China's plans, since China has man-made islands nearby in the South China Sea.

"Both the Pratas and Taiping Island in the Spratly [Islands]chain have lost their geostrategic importance since the mainland developed eight artificial islands," Lu Li-Shih, formerly of Taiwan's Naval Academy, told the South China Morning Post. "Beijing has three 3,000-meter [9,842 feet] airstrips on its man-made islands nearby,and they can each accommodate all kinds of aircraft."

The Chinese aircraft carriers have been conducting combat readiness training in the Yellow Sea in May, and have traveled throughout the Asian coast in the past several months.

Countries in the South China Sea can regard China's increase in naval and air force drills as evidence that it intends to militarize the region, Taipei-based military observer Chi Le-yi said.

"The landing exercise is part of the PLA [People's Liberation Army] navy's regular training to achieve Beijing's plan to bring the South China Sea under its control," he said. "A landing drill could be seen as preparation for an attack on Taiwan, but it is more to do with the PLA building up its combat systems for any possible conflict in the South China Sea."

There has been no official announcement from China about the planned exercises, but concerns have been raised in Taiwan and other countries in the region, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Australia.

U.S. and Singapore join in South China Sea naval exercises
Washington DC (UPI) May 27, 2020 - The navies of the United States and Singapore conducted a bilateral exercise in the contested South China Sea this week, the U.S. Navy said Wednesday.

The Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords and the Republic of Singapore's Formidable-class multi-role stealth frigate RSS Steadfast were involved in two days of flashing light exercises, maneuvering exercises, large- and small-caliber gun shoots and a photo exercise, the U.S. Navy said. Social distancing protocols, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, were respected.

"This was the first time that Gabrielle Giffords Blue Crew sailed alongside the Singapore Navy at sea, and they demonstrated high tactical proficiency throughout the exercise," said Cmdr. Dustin Lonero, Blue Crew commanding officer, a reference to "Blue" and "Gold" crews which alternate manning the ship. "Working with Steadfast was an excellent learning opportunity and gave us the chance to strengthen bonds, and enhance our mutual maritime professionalism in the shared naval environment."

The armament of the USS Gabrielle Giffords, commissioned in 2017, includes a 57 mm gun. .50-cal. guns, 30 mm Mk44 Bushmaster guns and Hellfire missiles. At 418 feet in length, it is comparable to Singapore's 378-foot long RSS Steadfast, which carries Harpoon SSM anti-ship missiles, MBDA Aster anti-air missiles, EuroTorp torpedoes and 76 mm and 12.7 mm guns.

The exercises took place on Monday and Tuesday in international waters claimed by China, as Chinese President Xi Jinping announced plans for the Chinese military's strengthening of preparations for armed confrontation.

Two U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers "conducted a mission in the South China Sea on May 26 as part of a Bomber Task Force mission, showcasing their ability to fly, sail, and operate anywhere international law allows, at the time and tempo of our choosing," a Twitter message from the Pacific Air Force command of the U.S. Air Force said on Tuesday.

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