Iran Press/America: Commander of the US Pacific Fleet Adm. John Aquilino claimed in a statement that the United States is "committed to a rules-based order in the South China Sea and we will continue to champion freedom of the seas and the rule of law," US-based Business Insider news outlet reported Saturday.
"The Chinese Communist Party must end its pattern of bullying Southeast Asians out of offshore oil, gas, and fisheries,” the US commander further proclaimed in his statement on Thursday.
According to the report, the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Montgomery and the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Cesar Chavez conducted "presence operations" near Malaysia-contracted drillship, the West Capella, in a bid to support the vessel allegedly “hassled” by Chinese ships in recent months.
The West Capella, a ship contracted by Malaysia's state oil company Petronas, has been conducting exploratory drilling in the South China Sea.
Malaysia, however, has expressed hopes that the US-alleged standoff will be resolved peacefully, as Beijing has denied the existence of any dispute.
The development came a week after the US military deployed four B-1B heavy bombers and hundreds of troops to its western pacific territory of Guam to carry out “deterrence missions” aimed at Beijing after days of provocative maneuvers near contested territory in the South China Sea.
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