China said on Saturday that it flew a fleet of bombers, fighters, and other aircraft over contested areas in the South China Sea in a show of force over a region that has flared tensions internationally. The aircraft, including H-6K bombers and Su-30 fighters, patrolled the airspace over the Spratly Islands and the Scarborough Shoal, where Chinese claims over the land clash with claims by the Philippines, according to the Wall Street Journal. The flight came as former Philippine President Fidel Ramos prepares to visit Beijing to discuss the dispute, the Journal reported. China flew patrols over the sea last month in defiance of the Hague’s July 12 ruling that China does not have claims to sovereignty over much of the sea.
The U.S. military is carrying out intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions along the southern border and off the coast of Mexico using U.S. Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint and U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft as part of the Pentagon’s effort to secure the southern border at the direction of President…