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Pentagon chief visiting aircraft carrier in South China Sea

FILE - In this May 29, 2003 file photo, sailors man the rails as the USS Theodore Roosevelt is maneuvered into it's berth at the Norfolk Naval Station in Norfolk, Va. Defense Secretary Carter was flying Thursday onto the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an American aircraft carrier in the disputed waterway. Carter is using the visit to the USS Theodore Roosevelt to amplify the U.S. view that China is making excessive claims that nearly all of the South China Sea as its territory. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
FILE - In this May 29, 2003 file photo, sailors man the rails as the USS Theodore Roosevelt is maneuvered into it's berth at the Norfolk Naval Station in Norfolk, Va. Defense Secretary Carter was flying Thursday onto the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an American aircraft carrier in the disputed waterway. Carter is using the visit to the USS Theodore Roosevelt to amplify the U.S. view that China is making excessive claims that nearly all of the South China Sea as its territory. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

By Associated Press 4 min read

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) – In a symbolic swipe at China’s muscular moves in the South China Sea, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter was flying Thursday onto an American aircraft carrier in the disputed waterway.

Carter, who was in Malaysia for two days of talks with Asian defense ministers, is using the visit to the USS Theodore Roosevelt to amplify the U.S. view that China is making excessive claims that nearly all of the South China Sea as its territory.

Carter also was signaling that the U.S. will keep a strong naval presence in the region in support of nations seeking to preserve stability. He was to fly aboard the carrier in a V-22 Osprey from a base in the east Malaysian state of Sabah, which is situated on the northern portion of Borneo.

In announcing his planned visit Wednesday, Carter called it a “symbol of our commitment” to focusing more on U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific following more than a decade of wars in the Middle East.

Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein planned to accompany Carter to the carrier, highlighting U.S. efforts to strengthen defense partnerships in the Asia-Pacific. Malaysia is among several countries that claim a portion of the South China Sea and disagree with China’s building of artificial islands.