Tensions Escalate: U.S. and Chinese Aircraft Carriers face each other in South China Sea

The U.S. and China have deployed aircraft carriers into the East and South China Seas, as the two superpowers engage in their latest powerplays on the disputed waters.    It comes amid already high tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, with hundreds of Chinese vessels, which the Philippines claim are linked to China’s navy, moored inside Manila’s 320-kilometre exclusive zone. Last week the Philippines sent light military aircraft to fly over the 200-plus boat flotilla, at the Whitsun Reef. Despite Manila’s growing protest, the Chinese fleet remains. The U.S., Japan and Indonesia also stepped up pressure on China over the…