Satellite images show U.S. carrier operating near Chinese warships

New satellite images showed a U.S. aircraft carrier operating near Chinese warships in the Arabian Sea as it carried out attacks against the Houthis based in Yemen.

Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Chinese embassy in Washington D.C. for comment.

Why It Matters

The presence of U.S. and Chinese warships in close proximity in the Arabian Sea highlights the Middle East’s growing role as a stage for the global power struggle between the United States and China, which it considers as its main adversary.

What To Know

The USS Carl Vinson was spotted in the Arabian Sea on Sunday less than 60 miles from two Chinese warships of the naval escort task force, new satellite images showed.

This photograph captured by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellites on May 4 shows the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea at 07:05:42 UTC.

Copernicus/Sentinel Hub

The images, first shared online by open-source analyst MT Anderson, were taken 14 seconds apart and show the positions of the U.S. and Chinese vessels.

Chinese warships — This photograph captured by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellites on May 4 shows Chinese ships at 07:05:56 UTC.

Copernicus/Sentinel Hub

Two American aircraft carriers are part of the increased U.S. military presence in the Middle East and Indian Ocean region to prevent a Houthi blockade on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and in case of a potential strike on Iran over its nuclear program.

China has long been an economic powerhouse in the Middle East, with most regional states participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. However, its security role remains comparatively limited.

Chinese naval drills in the Gulf of Aden took place last month, involving a frigate and a supply ship from its three-vessel escort task force. China also conducted its first joint air force exercise with U.S. ally Egypt in North Africa, which featured advanced fighter jets, radar aircraft, and aerial refueling planes.

The United States recently accused a Chinese company with Beijing’s backing of helping support attacks by Iran-backed Houthis on U.S. interests as it wages war on the militant group in Yemen. China said it had only been playing a positive role in the region.

China is also watching the intensifying American naval operations against the Houthis for lessons, including the U.S.’s use of aircraft carriers and its defense against a range of threats, as it prepares for a potential invasion of Taiwan, experts told Newsweek.

What People Are Saying

Taehwa Hong, Eurasia Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute wrote in The Observer Research Foundation Indian think tank: “While it is no longer as deeply entrenched militarily in the Middle East as it used to be, Washington still remains the single most powerful political and military force in the region.”

Phil Yu, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security: “The intensive and sustained dual-carrier strike group campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels offers critical insights into contemporary naval power projection, especially in contested environments shaped by asymmetric threats.”