US flies B-52 bombers over disputed waters near China

The US has sent a pair of B-52 strategic bombers on two separate missions in close proximity to China, in an action that is likely to draw criticism from Beijing, which is currently locked in a trade dispute with Washington.

Two US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress long-range bombers, based in Guam, participated in “routine training missions” on Monday by flying through the disputed airspaces over the South and East China Seas. As one bomber “conducted training in the vicinity of the South China Sea,” the other practiced off the coast of Japan in “coordination with the US Navy and alongside our Japanese air force,” US Pacific Air Forces said in a statement.

The Pacific Command’s so-called 'Continuous Bomber Presence Missions' are designed to ensure the air force’s rapid global strike capability and act as a means of deterrence. China views such overflights as clear provocations and as a show of force aimed at challenging Beijing's sovereignty in the region.

The B-52 maneuvers could further inflame tensions with China at the height of a bitter trade dispute where the ongoing negotiations have yet to bear any concrete results.

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