Pentagon Rules Out Aircraft Carrier Visit to China

The Pentagon announced Friday it wouldn’t send an aircraft carrier to visit China this year, in a move a U.S. official said is intended to persuade China to seek diplomatic solutions to territorial disputes.

Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said U.S. and Chinese officials met Thursday to discuss military exchanges over the coming year to build on previous efforts, but said the U.S. has ruled out a visit to China by a U.S. carrier.

Officials had previously proposed the U.S. send an aircraft carrier to visit China as part of the effort to expand defense ties between the two countries, but Pentagon officials last week deferred a decision on the carrier visit while awaiting progress in U.S.-China talks on other agreements, including one designed to reduce the risk of midair collisions between military aircraft.

Read more