US aircraft carrier patrols South China Sea, welcomes China army officers aboard
ABOARD THE USS GEORGE WASHINGTON, South China Sea - While cuts in Pentagon budgets and political gridlock in Washington have cast doubt on the sustainability of a U.S. "pivot" back to Asia, its military realities are all too clear from the flight deck of the USS George Washington aircraft carrier.
F-18 Super Hornet jet fighters roar from its decks with chest-thumping velocity less than 300 km (185 miles) from the Chinese coast - a symbol of U.S. naval dominance in Asia that Chinese analysts fear could contain Beijing's rising power for decades.
Yet just 30 km (19 miles) away is a lone Chinese naval frigate, well within the protective screen of U.S. ships and aircraft that protect the carrier across a vast swathe of the disputed South China Sea.
The officers of the Washington are hosting People's Liberation Army officers on-board as part of efforts to engage a Chinese military wary of being contained by U.S. forces across Asia. The frigate has not been invited.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/334517/news/world/us-aircraft-carrier-patrols-south-china-sea-welcomes-china-army-officers-aboard
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/07/us-usa-carrier-southchinasea-idUSBRE9A60NC20131107?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) personnel leave their hats during a tour of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier George Washington in the South China Sea, November 7, 2013.