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American bombers have been increasingly active in both the East and South China Seas in recent days with B52 bombers prompting fury in Beijing by flying through the disputed regions one four

separate occasions and China threatening to retaliate to what it sees as "provocation". B52s are capable of carrying up to 32,000kg of weapons and have a typical combat range of

more than 8,800 miles without aerial refueling The latest display of US air power comes amid growing tensions between Beijing and Washington over military activity aroundn contested islands.

A Pentagon official said: “This training mission was part of the United States Indo-Pacific Command’s Continuous Bomber Presence operations, which are key to improving combined

interoperability, tactical skills and relationships. “These missions are consistent with international law and the United States’ long-standing and well-known freedom of navigation

policies.” But the timing of the exercises will spark more outrage in Beijing coming just days after China’s ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, hit out at the US for creating major

”trouble" in the South China Seas by sending military warships and planes to the troubled region. The number of manoeuvres had increased since US President Donald Trump's

presidency began as Washington continues to challenge China's military expansion. Mr Liu said the latest deployment was an excuse for Washington to show off its military capabilities

and threatened China's security. He told the annual Induction Programme for Commonwealth Diplomats "some big countries outside the region" bypassed Chinese-claimed islands and

that it put "regional peace and stability in jeopardy". Mr Liu said: "Yet to everyone's confusion, some big countries outside the region did not seem to appreciate the

peace and tranquility in the South China Sea. "They sent warships and aircraft all the way to the South China Sea to create trouble. “Under the excuse of so-called ‘freedom of

navigation’, they ignored the vast sea lane and chose to sail into the adjacent waters of China's islands and reefs to show off their military might. Chinese officials insist the

islands, many of which were constructed by Beijing, are part of its sovereign territory. The US, however, is continuing to back China’s key rival Taiwan in the South China Sea dispute, which

it claims is part of its territory. Mr Trump recently approved the sale of military aircraft to Taiwan. Britain was dragged into the row last week when Beijing warned London to back off

when a Royal Navy warship was spotted in the region