China has denied that it intends to militarize its development of the islands. Yet it offers little prospect of dissuading Beijing from pursuing its far-reaching territorial ambitions in one of the world’s most important waterways. The reports add that US Navy reconnaissance plane will be flying to support the said mission.
Advertisement
The mission, which had the approval of President Barack Obama, has now concluded, the official said.
The patrol was completed without incident, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the Lassen’s movements.
The United States has launched a reckless military provocation against China by sending a naval vessel within the 12-nautical mile limit surrounding islands claimed by China in the South China Sea.
Without confirming the destroyer’s preparations, State Department spokesman John Kirby said Monday that the USA did not need any other nation’s permission to sail in worldwide waters anywhere on earth.
The US disputes that this is applicable in the case of the manmade islands.
Reuters notes that Chinese authorities are still working to verify whether the Lassen did indeed sail within 12 nautical miles of either Subi or Mischief Reef.
The ship would probably be accompanied by a US Navy P-8A surveillance plane and a P-3 surveillance plane, according to the unnamed official, speaking to USA media. Swift says that the fleet has always operated inside the area in the past and it will continue to do so going forward.
The USA presence is a tangible indication of its position that the area is not under Chinese sovereignty. And in a maneuver denounced by the Pentagon as reckless, a Chinese J-11 fighter jet passed within 20 feet of another American P-8 aircraft in August previous year.
“The whole point of freedom of navigation in global waters is that it’s worldwide waters”.
China may still opt to challenge “freedom of navigation” patrols with its coast guard, according to Mr Ian Storey, a senior fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. Additionally, the USA and a few of its allies believe that the country’s actions could affect sea trade in the region.
“This is perhaps the most publicly debated operation in the history [of the program]”, said M. Taylor Fravel, an expert on Chinese maritime issues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
United States warships have not entered the area since China began constructing the island bases in late 2013.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea states the typical 12-nautical-mile boundary nations enjoy off their coastlines can not be placed around artificial islands or structures, only a 500 meter safety zone. Numerous countries have claims to islands in the South China Seas, including Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and of course China.
Advertisement
Reuters 1st reported in that the Navy planned within 24 hours to send a destroyer near the Spratly Islands, an archipelago in that China aggressively has laid claim to by building airstrips & different features on top of reefs. “I reiterated the right of all countries to freedom of navigation and overflight and to unimpeded commerce”, Obama said.
