WASHINGTON • The United States was sending two aircraft carriers to the South China Sea at the same time as China is conducting military exercises in the contested waterway, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz were expected to be in the South China Sea from yesterday, the US news outlet quoted the strike group commander as saying. "The purpose is to show an unambiguous signal to our partners and allies that we are committed to regional security and stability," Rear Admiral George Wikoff said.

He said the exercises were not a response to those being conducted by China, which the Pentagon criticised last week as "counter-productive to efforts at easing tensions and maintaining stability".

China dismissed the US criticism of its drills on Friday and suggested the US was to blame for increasing tensions.

Adm Wikoff did not give the location of the US exercises.

The Wall Street Journal said that they would be conducted by the two carriers and four other warships and would include round-the-clock flights.

China announced recently that it had scheduled five days of drills starting on July 1 near the Paracel Islands, which are claimed by both Vietnam and China.

Vietnam and the Philippines have also criticised the planned Chinese drills.

The US accuses China of stoking tension in the South China Sea and trying to intimidate Asian neighbours who might want to exploit its extensive oil and gas reserves.

China claims 90 per cent of the potentially energy-rich South China Sea but Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also lay claim to parts of it, through which about US$3 trillion (S$4.2 trillion) of trade passes each year.

REUTERS