U.S., China Top Military Leaders in Rival South China Sea Tours
- Carter's carrier visit asserts right to sail disputed waters
- Top Chinese general inspects progress of island-building push
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The China-U.S. security rivalry over the South China Sea was on full display Friday, as Defense Secretary Ash Carter visited an American aircraft carrier in the disputed waters, right after a top People’s Liberation Army general inspected facilities nearby.
Carter’s trip to the U.S.S. John C. Stennis was one of the most overt demonstrations so far of America’s determination to maintain its role as the chief guarantor of security in the waters of the Asia Pacific. Similarly, the tour by General Fan Changlong -- second-only in military rank behind President Xi Jinping -- represented the highest-level Chinese visit to islands it’s built in the contested South China Sea.