Two US aircraft carriers held a joint exercise in the South China Sea on Tuesday, days after a US warship sailed near islands controlled by China in disputed waters, and has become another hotspot in tense relations between Beijing and Washington.

The US Navy said that the two aircraft carriers, "USS Theodore Roosevelt" and "USS Nimitz" (USS Nimitz) and their two battle groups "conducted many exercises with the aim of increasing the operational compatibility between the pieces, as well as the command and control capabilities." This was the first bilateral operations by two aircraft carriers in the congested waterway since July 2020.

The exercises came days after China condemned the sailing of the US destroyer "John S. McCain" near the Paracel Islands under the control of Beijing.

Washington described the sailing of its destroyer as a freedom of navigation operation, the first such mission of the US Navy since President Joe Biden took office last month.

"We are committed to ensuring the legal use of the sea, which is guaranteed by international law for all countries," Admiral Jim Kirk, commander of the aircraft carrier battle group, said in a statement.

China's anger

And the frequent sailing of US ships near the islands - which Beijing occupies and controls at sea - anger China.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said today, Tuesday, that Beijing will continue to take the necessary measures to ensure its sovereignty and security, after the United States announced that two American aircraft carriers had conducted joint exercises in the South China Sea.

Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin made the remark at a daily press briefing in Beijing.

China says its sovereignty cannot be refuted, and accuses the United States of deliberately stoking tension.