In a harsher reaction, the Chinese Defense Ministry said a garrison on the island, as well as navy ships and planes, had “immediately” identified the US warship and warned it to leave.
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China’s Defense Ministry denounced the warship transit and said its forces had forced the destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur out of the area. And in December, two US bombers flew into the airspace over a Chinese-controlled island and reef in the same waters.
Recently, the Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer sailed by Triton Island in the Paracels which is being claimed by China to exercise freedom of navigation exercises, the Pentagon said.
“Freedom of navigation and flyover in the South China Sea has never been a problem and will not be a problem”, it said.
Captain Davis added: “No claimants were notified prior to the transit, which is consistent with our normal process and global law”.
Zhang Baohui, a China security specialist at Hong Kong’s Lingnan University, said Beijing might send more military vessels and aircraft to the disputed region to convey the message that its activities in the South China Sea would continue despite United States pressure.
Reuters quoted China’s foreign ministry as blasting the latest usa move as “intentionally provocative” and “irresponsible and extremely dangerous”.
China, Taiwan and Vietnam have attempted to restrict navigation around islands and other features in the area, seeking prior permission from vessels sailing near them. The operation also could have involved what is known as “innocent passage” through territorial waters. China protested the October sail-by strongly.
The US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen, which in October sailed near Subi Reef, one of several artificial islands that China has built in the disputed Spratly Islands chain in the South China Sea.
“The so-called freedom of navigation plans and acts that the United States has upheld for many years in reality do not accord with generally recognised global law”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a daily news briefing.
The Philippines refers to the South China Sea as the “West Philippine Sea”, emphasizing that parts of the water fall under its exclusive economic zone as allowed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. “Both archipelagos are claimed by China based on historic precedent”, Etler said.
The U.S. has claimed the attempts to restrict navigational rights by requiring prior notice is inconsistent with global law and pledged to regularly carry out similar maneuvers.
China, however, would be one of the worst affected countries if shipping were disrupted, given its heavy reliance on imports from Africa and the Middle East via South East Asia. “That is true in the South China Sea, as in other places around the globe”, said Navy Commander Bill Urban, according to CNN.
“Chinese troops stationed on the islands, naval ships and airplanes made an immediate response, took countermeasures and conducted identification and verification (action) against the USA warship,”Yang said”.
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While the US has challenged China’s expansive maritime claims as part of President Barack Obama’s “pivot to Asia” strategy, the Pentagon emphasized Saturday it was also signaling opposition to actions by other countries vying with China.
