Two US Navy aircraft, an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter and an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet, crashed in separate incidents in the South China Sea on Sunday, within a span of 30 minutes, raising several questions. The US Navy has acknowledged the crashes but has not disclosed what the aircraft were doing in the geopolitically sensitive South China Sea at the time. However, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday said the aircraft crashed during a military exercise.

China's foreign ministry also said it would be willing to provide humanitarian assistance to the US following the crashes, spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a press conference on Monday, reported Reuters.

The US Navy has launched investigations to determine the causes of the crashes.

The incident occurred as the USS Nimitz, on

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