A group of Chinese naval vessels transited U.S. territorial waters near Alaska this week, a Pentagon official said Friday.
A U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details of China’s naval movements, said the group of five Chinese vessels had passed within about 12 nautical miles of the Aleutian Islands after a joint Russian-Chinese military exercise.
The ships did not violate international law, which allows countries to transit other nations’ seas under what is called “innocent passage,” the official said. He likened China’s movement through U.S. waters off Alaska to the activities of U.S. ships in the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Iran.
The official said the flotilla, which included three surface combatant ships, one amphibious ship and a supply ship, now appeared to be heading back to China. “By all accounts and by all indications, they’re going home,” he said.
Navy Cmdr. Bill Urban, a spokesman at the Pentagon, said the ships continued out to sea into the Pacific Ocean after transiting the Aleutian Island chain. The Defense Department does not plan to provide additional updates on the location of the ships, indicating that defense officials likely consider the matter resolved.
The Chinese ships, whose foray into U.S. waters was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, were spotted as President Barack Obama concluded a high-profile visit to Alaska.