the times | Friday August 28 2020 2GM 33between Greece, Cyprus, Israel and
Egypt. Mr Erdogan has sent survey
vessels and drill ships to the region,
prompting Greece to stage a series of
joint military exercises with France, the
UAE, Cyprus and Italy.
Turkey has been holding its own drills,
the latest of which was announced yes-
terday, comprising live-fire exercises in
the seas off Cyprus next week.
According to the US embassy in
Athens, Mr Trump “expressed concern
over increased tension between Nato
allies” and “reaffirmed that Greece and
Turkey must commit to dialogue”.
However, neither side is showing any
inclination to back down. Greece has
ratified its maritime agreements with
Italy and Egypt, and has extended its
sea borders from six to twelve nautical
miles west into the Ionian sea. Turkey
has warned that any similar expansion
eastwards would be a cause for war.The World at Five
Richard Spencer amid
the wreckage of Beirut
In depth and online today at 5pm
thetimes.co.ukRusten
Sheskey,
who shot
Jacob Blakeenters the Earth’s atmosphere at super-
sonic speeds, making it hard to defend
against.
Last month, in a powerful show of
strength, the US carriers USS Nimitz
and USS Ronald Reagan conducted
exercises in the South China Sea at the
same time as the Shandong.
The other missile tested, the DF-26B,
can carry nuclear or conventional
warheads and has a range of 4,000km,
making it capable of striking US forces
on the Pacific garrison island of Guam.
Both weapons were fired into an area
of sea between the Chinese province of
Hainan and the Paracel Islands, which
are claimed by several southeast Asian
countries, as well as by China.
In the past six years Beijing has
strengthened its claims by concreting
over reefs to build airbases equipped
with radar, missiles and aircraft.
On Wednesday the US government
banned 24 Chinese companies from
buying American products, accusing
them of helping to build the islands.
In 2016 an international tribunal in
the Hague rejected Beijing’s claim to
sovereignty over virtually the whole
South China Sea and ruled that the new
military bases broke international law.
President Tsai of Taiwan warned of
the rising danger of war in the region.
“The risk of conflict requires careful
management by all the parties
concerned,” she said.China test fires
its ‘carrier killers’
in warning to US
China
Richard Lloyd Parry Asia Editor
Beijing is believed to have fired a
nuclear-capable “carrier killer” anti-
ship ballistic missile into the South
China Sea the day after the United
States sent a surveillance aircraft to spy
on Chinese military exercises.
Mark Esper, the US defence secre-
tary, denounced Beijing for its “aggres-
sion” and promised that his govern-
ment would not give “an inch of
ground” in its rejection of Chinese
sovereignty over the strategic sea.
“Particularly in the South China Sea
area, China seems to be flexing its
muscles the most and conducting some
of its worst behaviour,” Mr Esper said
after a speech in Hawaii before leaving
for Palau, a tiny Pacific island nation,
and a US ally in a region where China’s
influence is increasing.
“The United States has a responsibil-
ity to lead... We’re not going to cede
this region, an inch of ground if you
will, to another country, any other
country that thinks their form of
government [is] better than what many
of us share.”
Diplomatic tension between the
China and the US has been rising for
months, as President Trump has made
criticism of Beijing a part of his re-elec-
tion campaign. Yesterday China
accused the US of “naked provocation”
and “trespass” in sending a high-
altitude U2 surveillance aircraft to spy
on naval live firing exercises involving
its aircraft carrier Shandong.
As China was making its complaint,
according to the South China Morning
Post, it was also test-firing advanced
ballistic missiles in what appears to be a
pointed response. The weapons were
said to include the DF-21D, a “carrier
killer” anti-ship ballistic missile, which
could threaten the US fleet. A ballistic
missile typically leaves and then re-Erdogan’s war games in
Med defy calls for calm
Turkey
Hannah Lucinda Smith Istanbul
Turkey has said it will hold a new round
of military exercises in the eastern
Mediterranean, in defiance of a plea
from President Trump to ease tensions.
Mr Trump held separate phone calls
with President Erdogan and Kyriakos
Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister,
on Wednesday night regarding the
long-running dispute over maritime
sovereignty that has been reignited by
the discovery of undersea gas reserves.
Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary-
general, said yesterday that the alliance
would try to mediate by “developing
mechanisms to prevent incidents and
accidents”.
Turkey insists that itself and Turkish
speaking northern Cyprus should
share in the spoils but they have been
excluded by a series of agreementsconvention, along with several other family members, giving him a much-needed morale boost as violent protests continuewith murders of white demonstrators
from 7pm and the streets were peaceful
on Wednesday night for the first time
since video emerged of a white police
officer shooting a black man, Jacob
Blake, in the back on Sunday.
That incident stoked anger over law
enforcement, which has become a
polarising topic in the US this summer,with protests sweeping the country
after the death of George Floyd while
being arrested in May.
Mr Rittenhouse made it clear which
side he was on: his social media
accounts proudly proclaimed his
admiration for the Blue Lives Matter
movement and other pro-police causes.
When he was younger he took part in
cadet programmes with the GrayslakePolice Department and the Antioch
Fire Department. Mr Rittenhouse told
reporters before the shootings that he
had come to Kenosha to “protect
people” and defend businesses from
vandalism.
According to court records reviewed
by the Chicago Tribune, his mother
sought an order of protection from
police in January 2017, claiming that a
classmate had been threatening her son
and calling him “dumb”. Neighbours
said he later dropped out of high school.
Other social media postings suggest-
ed that he had a strong attachment
to guns and other weapons.
He posted a video from one
of President Trump’s rallies
in Iowa this year showing
him standing in the
front row.
The officer whoshot Mr Blake was identified on
Wednesday as Rusten Sheskey, who
has served with the Kenosha Police
Department for seven years. Officials
said that the police had been sum-
moned to a house on Sunday after a
female caller said her boyfriend was on
the premises unlawfully.
There they encountered Mr
Blake, for whom an arrest
warrant on charges of crim-
inal trespass, domestic abuse
and third-degree sexual
assault was filed last month.
Officers were unsuc-
cessful in using a Taser
on Mr Blake and then
Mr Sheskey shot
him while holding
on to his shirt from
behind as Mr
Blake tried to get
into his own car.
A knife was
later found in
the car, police
said.Anthony Huber
was named as one
of the two victimsSAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY IMAGESHongongongongonnnnnnnn
KongTAIWANSouth
China Sea200 milesPHILIPPINESHILIPPINEHILHILLLLLIPPIIIPPPPPPPPIPPINENEParacel
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IslandslllllallaaaVIEETNAMEEpolls, says top aide