Five Chinese naval ships have been spotted in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska, the Pentagon confirmed n Wednesday.
"We respect the freedom of all nations to operate military vessels in international waters in accordance with international law. We are aware of the five People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships in the Bering Sea," Pentagon spokesman Commander Bill Urban said, according to AFP.
The five Chinese naval vessels include three warships, an amphibious ship and a replenishment vessel, ABC News reported.
U.S. defence officials said that it was first time that the Chinese naval ships were spotted in the Bering Sea, according to AFP.
The Pentagon, however, remained calm and said that they have not detected any kind of threat from the ships.
"This would be a first in the vicinity of the Aleutian Islands. I don't think we'd characterize anything they're doing as threatening," a defence official said, according to Nasdaq. The Pentagon also said that it was monitoring their operations closely.
The presence of Chinese warships in the Bering Sea comes at a time when U.S. President Barack Obama is in Alaska to speak about global warming.
China also downplayed the presence of its naval ships in the Bering Sea and called it a routine exercise, reported Reuters.
