According to defence sources, it was conducted, on the morning of 10 May, by the USS William P. Lawrence, a guided missile destroyer within 12 nautical miles of Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly Islands.
Advertisement
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang says China would like to resort to the “dual-track” approach to resolve the South China Sea issue.
The patrol, which was the third such operation by Washington since October, saw the USS William P. Lawrence transit within 12 nautical miles (22 km) of Fiery Cross Reef, which is claimed by the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
“This operation challenged attempts by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam to restrict navigation rights around the features they claim, specifically that these three claimants purport to require prior permission or notification of transits through the territorial sea, contrary to global law”. As a effect, China asserts the right to monitor troops and naval movements around reefs and atolls in the South China Sea, while the USA disputes that right, as Reuters reported. China does not view the Spratly Island region as worldwide waters, despite claims from Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines that the territory is theirs.
Criticism of China over the South China Sea will rebound like a coiled spring, a Chinese diplomat said on Friday, as a USA warship visited Shanghai against a backdrop of rising tension in the region.
The U.S. warship’s mission was a “simple act of provocation” created to further inflame regional rivalries and embolden U.S. allies to take action against China, he said.
Chinese officials have repeatedly challenged the court’s jurisdiction and the rights of the Philippines to bring the case, refusing to participate.
It is Washington’s third “freedom of navigation” operation in the disputed waters launched in recent months after China built several artificial islands as it asserts claims to almost all the sea.
China inaugurated an expanded military airbase on the artificial island a year ago and landed its first military aircraft at Fiery Cross Reef in April, triggering global condemnation. “This is the biggest threat to the peace and stability and the freedom of navigation and flight on the South China Sea”, Lu said.
China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year.
Beijing also criticized Aquino’s moves to enhance military ties and strengthen security cooperation with the US, Manila’s key ally.
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.
However, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 22km is the territorial limit.
Daniel Russel, the assistant secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, told reporters at a press conference. Lu also said that China had indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and its surrounding waters. The Philippines challenged China’s claims in the South China Sea, questioning its validity under worldwide law.
Advertisement
The United States said on Tuesday it would work with the apparent victor of the Philippines presidential election but declined to say if it had any concerns about the controversial policies advocated by maverick Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
