“The Chinese PLA Navy has dispatched the guided missile destroyer Lanzhou and the patrol ship Taizhou to send warnings by law to the USS Lassen”, Yang said.
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The USS Lassen guided missile destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of at least one of the land formations claimed by China in the disputed Spratly Islands chain early on Tuesday local time.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter in advance of the ship’s movement into waters near reefs that China claims as its sovereign territory.
CHINA yesterday slammed the United States for sailing a warship near Zhubi Reef of its Nansha Islands in the South China Sea, saying the move was a “threat to China’s sovereignty” and damaged China-US relations and regional peace.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said China adhered to worldwide 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”.
CNN reported that the patrol had been approved by US President Barack Obama, while a USA defense official said that additional patrols would follow in coming weeks. “It’s not something that’s unique to China”.
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea has decided, but will China listen? In a little over 18 months he’s built five huge artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago, more than 1000 kilometres from the Chinese mainland.
China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5-trillion of world trade passes every year.
The decision to go ahead with the patrol follows months of deliberation and risks upsetting strained ties with China.
The Chinese embassy in Washington, for its part, said the concept of freedom of navigation should not be used as an excuse for muscle flexing.
A few experts say China would probably resist attempts to make such USA actions routine.
The Philippines, which has filed an arbitration case with the United Nations questioning China’s sweeping claims over the sea, led U.S. allies in the region in hailing the warship’s passage through the disputed waters.
“If the conditions in the South China Sea change, the military has plans to deal with such contingencies”, Kao said. Satellite images show that China has built Subi Reef into an island, using huge dredging equipment, and that it has started constructing a runway capable of accommodating military aircraft. China has been fighting for sovereignty calling the area as the “Nanyang” Sea.
Beijing has repeatedly said the construction work is mainly for civilian purposes.
Nevertheless, if the two governments are unwilling or unable to reach a few type of agreement on this issue, tensions could increase as a result of more frequent naval and air encounters, thus increasing the chance of an incident that could escalate into a serious political-military crisis, China expert Swaine underlined.
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The US Freedom of Navigation programme challenges what it deems to be “excessive claims” to the world’s oceans and airspace.
