Carrier operations in the Philippine Sea

China’s Liaoning carrier and USS Theodore Roosevelt converge in Philippine Sea

China's Liaoning carrier group sailed beyond the first island chain toward waters south of the Philippines as USS Theodore Roosevelt participated in the multinational Keen Sword exercise in the Philippine Sea. The Chinese formation includes Type 055 destroyers Wuxi and Anshan and Type 052D destroyer Huainan. It reportedly reached about 25 nautical miles east-southeast of Balut Island before turning northeast, potentially bringing it into the same broad operating area as the allied exercise. Theodore Roosevelt operated with Japanese, Australian, Canadian and French warships, but the reported movements do not establish a direct encounter or confrontation between the carrier groups.