Guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen breached the 12-nautical mile zone China claims around Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly archipelago.
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China says virtually all of the South China Sea belongs to it, while Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam claim either parts or all of it. Since 2013, China has accelerated the creation of new outposts by piling sand atop reefs and atolls then adding buildings, ports and airstrips big enough to handle bombers and fighter jets.
According to Reuters, which first reported about the events, a senior Obama administration official said more such patrols are expected to take place in the coming weeks.
China said two of its vessels had shadowed the USS Lassen. The US Navy last went within 12 miles of Chinese-claimed territory in the Spratlys in 2012. A foreign ministry spokesman in Beijing said “the US risks being a fool by trying to look smart”, as China might decide to accelerate boosting its defences. “We will fly, sail, and operate anywhere in the world that global law allows”.
Washington calls the area worldwide water.
President Benigno Aquino’s nation believes China is boosting its military capabilities near where Beijing and Manila are locked in a standoff over islets the Philippines claims.
Just before the confirmation of Lassen’s cruising in the South China Sea waters, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned: “We are checking out the matter”. This has even led to confrontation between United States forces and the Chinese navy in the past. It’s always been anticipated the USA would test the principles of freedom of navigation.
The exercise did not seem to have provoked a military response by Beijing, Andrew Erickson, an expert on Chinese maritime issues, told AFP, demonstrating that “China and the United States share an interest in keeping the South China Sea’s vital sea lanes stable and open”. On the world stage, China portrays the South China Sea dispute as fundamentally a question of sovereignty.
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Beijing has until now only used vessels from its various coast guard agencies to patrol the disputed waters.
