Two U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers fly over the Pacific Ocean during a routine training mission Pacific Air Forces
Business Insider: US B-52 bombers tore through the South China Sea in a power play ahead of a sit-down between the US and Chinese defense chiefs
* Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and his Chinese counterpart Gen. Wei Fenghe, the Chinese defense minister, met Thursday to discuss a number of issues, particularly their disputes in the South China Sea.
* Two days prior, two US Air Force B-52 bombers flew through the contested area, sending a message about America's determination to continue naval freedom-of-navigation operations and aerial overflights in areas the US considers international.
* The flight comes just a few weeks after a showdown between a Chinese destroyer and a US Navy warship near the Spratly Islands.
Two US bombers tore through the hotly-contested South China Sea Tuesday, an apparent power play signaling US determination to continue to fly and sail wherever international law allows ahead of a key meeting between US and Chinese defense chiefs Thursday.
A pair of Guam-based US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress heavy long-range bombers "participated in a routine training mission in the vicinity of the South China Sea," Pacific Air Forces told CNN in a statement, adding that the flights were in support of US Indo-Pacific Command's Continuous Bomber Presence, a mission focused on deterring regional challengers.
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More News On Two U.S. Air Force B-52 Bombers Flying Over The South China Sea During The Asean Defense Summit
US flies B-52s near contested Islands amid China tensions -- CNN
As US, Chinese top brass meet, B-52s storm over South China Sea -- Asia Times
US bomber mission over South China Sea risks inflaming tensions ahead of Asean defence summit -- SCMP
US B-52 bombers fly by Chinese outposts -- NHK Japan
