US carrier in South China Sea tries to prove a point

Manila

WITH a deafening roar the fighter jets catapulted off the US aircraft carrier and soared above the disputed South China Sea, as its admiral vowed that the mighty ship's presence was proof America still had regional clout.

"US presence matters," Rear Admiral John Fuller told reporters on board the USS Carl Vinson. "I think it's very clear that we are in the South China Sea. We are operating." The Carl Vinson, one of the US Navy's longest-serving active carriers, is currently conducting what officials say is a routine mission through the hotly contested waters where years of island reclamation and military construction by Beijing has rattled regional nerves.