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 Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said it was the first time
the United States had seen Chinese navy ships in the Bering Sea.
"We respect the freedom of all nations to operate military vessels
in international waters in accordance with international law," Davis
said.
The appearance of the ships is an example of the expanding reach of
China's navy and overlapped with a three-day visit by Obama to
Alaska as part of his efforts to raise awareness about climate
change.
Two U.S. defense officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said
the United States had identified a Chinese amphibious ship, a
replenishment vessel and three surface combatant ships.
None of the ships had been seen acting in an unprofessional or
unlawful manner, the officials said, adding that the United States
had become aware of their presence in recent days.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said no threatening activity had
been detected, and added that the Pentagon was monitoring the
movement of the ships "but the intent of this is still unclear."
China has ramped up defense spending to modernize its forces and
wants to develop an ocean-going "blue water" navy capable of
defending its growing interests as the world's second-largest
economy.
On Thursday, China is to hold a massive military parade featuring
some 12,000 troops, the highlight of events there marking 70 years
since World War Two ended in Asia.
Dean Cheng, a China expert at the Heritage Foundation think-tank in
Washington, D.C., said the presence of the ships in the Bering Sea
was designed to send a message to Washington about China's growing
military might.
"It is living up to what the Chinese have been saying, 'We are now a
blue water navy. We will operate in the far seas and we are a global
presence'," Cheng said.
Melting sea ice has spurred more commercial traffic and China has
sought to become more active in the Arctic, where it has said it has
important interests.
Shorter shipping routes across the Arctic Ocean would save Chinese
companies time and money.
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It was not clear whether the presence of the Chinese ships was timed
to coincide with Obama's visit or if it followed a recent
Chinese-Russian navy exercise.
While the world's two largest economies have important mutual
interests, like trying to rein in North Korea's nuclear program,
disagreements exist between them including over China's claims in
the South China Sea.
China's military buildup, which includes developing stealth fighters
and anti-satellite missiles, has unnerved the Asia-Pacific region
and Washington, especially since President Xi Jinping took office in
2013 and started taking a tougher line on maritime territorial
disputes.
Xi is expected to spend about a week in the United States during the
second half of September.
The Heritage Foundation's Cheng said the presence of the ships in
the Bering Sea sent a message ahead of Xi's visit, which has been
preceded by threats of U.S. action over cyber attacks.
"That message is, in a nutshell, 'Stop pushing us. We are not going
to be lectured'," Cheng said.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton;
Editing by Toni Reinhold)
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