The U.S. says its freedom of navigation operations are created to emphasize that the South China Sea, home to some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, remains global waters, adding that it would increase the “freedom of navigation” sail-bys around the disputed area.
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“This action by the US side threatened China’s sovereignty and security interests, endangered the staff and facilities on the reef, and damaged regional peace and stability”, Lu said at a regular news briefing.
An American military exercise created to demonstrate the United States’ commitment to freedom of navigation in the South China Sea resulted in the Chinese government launching fighter jets.
Under this approach, maritime disputes are resolved peacefully through negotiations between claimant states, while Beijing and the grouping work together to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.
On Tue, May 10, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang briefly discussed its “rocky relations with the Philippines”.
Taiwan and Vietnam also lay claim to the China-controlled reef.
Innocent passage is a concept that allows ships to pass through any waters, including territorial waters, in accordance to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which China has ratified and the Navy follows in practice.
Not only does China assert claim to Fiery Cross Reef (which Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines also claim to own), but the country also seems to disagree with global maritime law.
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who won the presidential election Tuesday after his opponents withdrew, riled the Philippine public with controversial statements on rape and extrajudicial killings, but his campaign gained traction for his position on the South China Sea.
Fiery Cross is now comprised of 700 acres of reclaimed land.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter has warned China against “militarizing” the South China Sea by moving surface-to-air missiles to the islands it claims.
Tuesday’s “freedom of navigation” operation was the third USA mission in the region since October 2015. China’s recent construction of artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago, complete with airstrips and radar stations, and USA patrols challenging Beijing’s vast territorial claims, have caused concern that the strategically important waters could become a flashpoint.
The Philippines, under incumbent President Benigno Aquino’s administration, has strongly opposed China’s occupation of disputed islands in the South China Sea, believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas, which over 90 percent it has claimed.
Chinese officials have repeatedly challenged the court’s jurisdiction and the rights of the Philippines to bring the case, refusing to participate.
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Although the US does not officially support individual territorial claims, Carter visited the Stennis while it was cruising not far from the Scarborough Shoals.
