Chinese Military Ships Spotted in U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska Coast

Coast Guard Cutter Encounters Chinese Military Ships in U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A routine patrol by a U.S. Coast Guard cutter in the Bering Sea led to a surprising discovery as the crew came across several Chinese military ships in international waters but within the U.S. exclusive economic zone.

The Coast Guard crew detected three vessels north of the Amchitka Pass in the Aleutian Islands, with a fourth ship spotted shortly after by a helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak. All four People’s Republic of China vessels were operating in international waters but inside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends 200 nautical miles from the U.S. shoreline.

According to Rear Adm. Megan Dean, Seventeenth Coast Guard District commander, the Chinese naval presence was in compliance with international rules and norms. The Coast Guard ensured that there were no disruptions to U.S. interests in the maritime environment around Alaska.

The Coast Guard did not specify how long the Chinese ships were present in the Exclusive Economic Zone, but they were monitored by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball until they transited south of the Aleutian Islands into the North Pacific Ocean.

This sighting comes on the heels of the annual joint patrol between the Chinese navy and the Russian navy in the Pacific Ocean, as reported by the U.S. Naval Institute. The U.S. military, including U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, is taking notice of the increasing Chinese and joint Chinese-Russian military activity near Alaska’s coast.

The U.S. military regularly conducts freedom of navigation operations in disputed waters, including the South China Sea, to uphold America’s national interest. Aaron Davenport, a retired senior Coast Guard officer, noted that China’s “freedom of navigation operations” in the Bering Sea are a way for the country to assert its influence in a region that the U.S. regards as within its sphere of influence.

As tensions continue to rise in the region, the U.S. military remains vigilant in protecting its interests and allies in the Arctic. The incident serves as a reminder of the ongoing geopolitical complexities in the area, where overlapping maritime claims and strategic interests are at play.