Vice Admiral Karl Thomas is the commander of the 7th Fleet, the largest forward-deployed fleet in the US Navy. The 7th Fleet is based in Japan and has about 70 ships, 150 aircraft and more than 27,000 sailors.

The 7th Fleet's operational area covers 124 million ^square kilometers from bases in Japan, South Korea and Singapore.

Regarding China's recent "extreme actions", Vice Admiral Thomas emphasized the need to respond to actions taking place in the East Sea to prevent further encroachment there.

"When they keep coming forward with actions like that, you have to push them back, you have to deploy ships and operate," Reuters quoted the US commander as saying on August 27.

According to him, the incident in which a Chinese coast guard ship sprayed water cannons at a Philippine ship on August 5 was the best proof of Beijing's aggressive behavior in the region.

Vice Admiral Thomas said he had discussed with Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, commander of the Philippine Western Command, to understand the challenges facing Philippine forces and come up with support plans.

Mr. Thomas affirmed that the US has the same concerns in the region, adding: "The presence of my forces (in the Pacific) is for a reason."

The US Vice Admiral also revealed that he was on the flight from Manila to inspect the East Sea on August 26, but did not provide further information about his on-site observations.