Paper: US Carrier Set to Move Toward China

The aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk may sail to a position in the South China Sea from which it could launch jet fighters to guard U.S. reconnaissance flights when they resume off the coast of China, The Washington Post reported.

In its Monday edition, the newspaper quoted unidentified Navy officials as saying the flights could resume as soon as Thursday about 50 miles off the Chinese coast in international air space.

The Kitty Hawk carries about 70 aircraft and recently passed Singapore and is near the Philippines.

Chinese and American diplomats are scheduled to meet Wednesday in Beijing to discuss the cause of the April 1 collision between a U.S. Navy EP-3E surveillance plane and a Chinese F-8 jet fighter over the South China Sea.

China says it will demand an end to U.S. surveillance flights off its coast. The United States has rejected that, saying the flights are in international air space and are legal.






People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/