China claims it has historic rights to these waters, a crucial waterway where one third of global trade flows.
The aircraft is a part of US plan to keep its plan at the dominant naval power in Asia-Pacific region.
As fighter jets roared off the flight deck and darted above the South China Sea, visitors onboard the carrier USS Ronald Reagan raised their phones for the inevitable selfies.
Among those clicking souvenir images was a lieutenant-general from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, who was part of a VIP guest list as the carrier moved through contested waters.
The carrier – which docked last week in Hong Kong in a good-faith gesture from Beijing – also offered a snapshot into challenges for the Pentagon in the Asia-Pacific, as China builds up its own naval prowess and ramps up efforts to solidify territorial demands.
The United States seeks to keep its place as the dominant naval power across East Asia, where Washington and its allies believe that Beijing is trying to reorder international rules and military alliances in place since World War II.
But Washington also has to contend with China’s fast-growing military reach. That includes investments to its navy and missile systems to directly counter American military might.
Few places display Beijing’s ambitions more clearly than in the South China Sea.
China has built a range of artificial structures and begun to militarize them. Western military analysts say China is now able to possibly position missiles that could potentially destroy American aircraft carriers and other warships.
China claims it has historic rights to these waters, a crucial waterway where one third of global trade flows.
The United States and its allies, meanwhile, view the South China Sea as a vital international maritime corridor. Nations bordering the sea, including the Philippines, look to the U.S. Navy to help defend their access.