SOMEWHERE IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA — China has issued a fiery protest after the U.S. Navy’s recently-minted USS William J. Clinton aircraft carrier penetrated waters claimed by Beijing. When questioned about the aircraft carrier’s exact location, however, Navy Capt. Larry “Blue Dress” Tripp insisted that he “did not have international relations with that country.”

The ever-changing claims of China in the South China Sea have made the region difficult for the United States’ airborne and seaborne vessels to transit. Captain Tripp, the first commander of the USS Clinton, appeared to be pursuing the region and its voluptuous waters, which continue to be of strategic interest to the United States.