“We will do that in the time and places of our choosing”, he said adding that USA would focus on ensuring freedom of navigation through the South China Sea where, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan contest China’s claims of sovereignty all most all of South China Sea.
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American defence officials said their warship had sailed in the disputed area and was followed at a safe distance by a Chinese ship.
It earlier said the USS Lassen “illegally” entered waters near islands and reefs in the Spratlys without the Chinese government’s permission. “I would expect that this becomes a regular operation in the South China Sea”, the official said.
“By using a guided-missile destroyer, rather than smaller vessels… they are sending a strong message”, said Ian Storey, a South China Sea expert at Singapore’s Institute of South East Asian Studies.
Border issues of the reefs and islands, which have been built by China, are a bone of contention between Beijing and the US.
A White House official has said the U.S. has made it clear to China how important it considers the free flow of commerce in the South China Sea to be.
The freedom of navigation operation represents a serious challenge to China’s territorial claims, the BBC reports.
The diplomat urged the United States side to value the positive development of bilateral relations and to refrain from actions that threaten the sovereignty and security of China, the media outlet reported.
Third, all parties concerned should be included in mechanisms or measures that enhance peace and prosperity in the South China Sea, Massachusetts said, suggesting for example a maritime cooperation mechanism or code of conduct.
The USS Lassen sailed through waters claimed by China, the Philippines and Vietnam near Mischief Reef in the Spratlys.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said China adhered to global law regarding freedom of navigation and flight, but “resolutely opposes the damaging of China’s sovereignty and security interests in the name of free navigation and flight”.
Manila has infuriated the world´s second-largest economy by taking the dispute to a United Nations tribunal, and Philippine President Benigno Aquino said the U.S. action demonstrated that “the balance of power says that there is not just a single voice that must be adhered to”.
Under United Nations law, 12-nautical mile limits can not be set around manmade islands built on previously submerged reefs.
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The pictures also show a host of facilities with the potential for military applications being developed, including as many as three runways – at least one of them 3,000 metres (10,000 feet) long. China said they were there as part of a routine drill following exercises with Russian Federation.
