‘Freedom of Navigation’: China Trolls US Coast Guard, Sails Warships Near Alaskan Island Chain

The US Coast Guard says it has spotted four Chinese warships “transiting in international waters…inside the US exclusive economic zone” north of the Aleutian Islands’ Amchitka Pass and north of the Amukta Pass between Amukta and Seguam Islands.

The ships reportedly passed through the area last Saturday and Sunday, but the Coast Guard curiously didn’t report their passage until Wednesday. The Coast Guard did not offer any information regarding the types of Chinese ships it had encountered, but said three of the ships were detected by the USCGC Kimball cutter. A Coast Guard aircraft stationed on Kodiak Island spotted the fourth Chinese vessel.

Apparently taking a page out of the US Navy and Coast Guard’s playbook, the Chinese warships reportedly told the Coast Guard that they were in the area carrying out “freedom of navigation operations,” – a phrase the US military regularly uses to deploy warships in places where they’re not wanted, like areas of the South China Sea claimed by China as its sovereign territory.

 “The Chinese naval presence operated in accordance with international rules and norms,” Coast Guard 17th District commander Rear Admiral Megan Dean said. “We met presence with presence to ensure there were no disruptions to US interests in the maritime environment around Alaska.”