US builds naval presence in Asia-Pacific region to deter China — State Department

WASHINGTON, June 25. /TASS/. The United States is expanding its naval presence in the Asia-Pacific region to contain China, Assistant Secretary of the United States for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre said.

He said that the United States, despite the protests of China, regularly sends its warships to disputed waters in the Asia-Pacific region, "to defend freedom of navigation. We engage in our freedom of navigation operations quite frequently in and around Taiwan, along with our allies and partners," he said at a hearing in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives of the US Congress.

"We also have relocated some Coast Guard ships to the Philippines, for example, from Centcom, and there's been additional Coast Guard ships added to Guam as well," DeSombre said.

According to him, two US Coast Guard patrol ships were sent to the Subic Bay military base in the Philippines.

"We're already seeing some Coast Guard ships in Subic Bay at the moment that have relocated from Centcom to Subic Bay, which is a great addition to our capacity there," the American diplomat said. According to him, the United States is trying to ensure the containment of China "along the first island chain" in the Pacific Ocean.

In the US, the Coast Guard is an independent branch of the army.