The Navy is not cutting back on warship passages or aerial and naval reconnaissance operations in the South China Sea, according to a spokeswoman for the Pacific Fleet, despite new claims by Chinese press outlets.
The Chinese Communist Party-affiliated outlet People’s Liberation Army Daily, the official newspaper of the country’s military, reported Dec. 7 that “the number of U.S. ships and reconnaissance aircraft to carry out provocative operations in the South China Sea has decreased significantly recently.”
But Lt. Cmdr. Marissa Huhmann, spokeswoman for the Pacific Fleet, said the report was not true.
“Our ships operate routinely and at a time and place of our choosing,” she said.