The Chinese military will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and security regardless of provocative actions by the U.S., Yang said. Washington did not give Beijing prior notice of the exercise – which was meant to challenge “excessive maritime claims” by China, Taiwan and Vietnam, said a Pentagon spokesman, Mark Wright.
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Payne declared that Australia had “a legitimate interest” because 60 percent of Australian exports passed through the South China Sea. It is also a major shipping lane.
The island, administered by China, is part of the Paracel islands chain in the South China Sea also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.
Beijing has asserted its claims by rapidly building artificial islands in another South China Sea island chain, the Spratlys, raising tensions in the region.
In October the US Navy sent a guided missile destroyer within 12 nautical miles of one of the Spratlys to press home the point.
“Obviously, the U.S. warship’s incursion into China’s territorial sea without authorisation violated both Chinese and worldwide law”, Xinhua stated.
Also on Saturday Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said Vietnam – which has an overlapping claim to the Paracels – respects the right of innocent passage through its territory.
Speaking at the Centre for Strategic Studies (CSIS) in Washington last Wednesday, Admiral Harry Harris, head of the US Pacific Command, made clear that the US would expand its provocations in the South China Sea.
Upon hearing about China’s investment plans, the US State Department renewed its calls for all of the countries laying claim to the Paracels to stop constructing new facilities, militarising outposts, and reclaiming land.
“If this is the USA way of being objective, fair and reasonable, there must be serious doubts about its sincerity to settle the issue and maintain regional peace”, the article said.
The U.S. freedom of navigation program begun in 1979 with the goal of testing maritime territorial claims the U.S. viewed as excessive and in violation of global law.
Citing historic grounds, China has laid claim to nearly the entire South China Sea and its islands, reefs and atolls.
“The US claims to be a bystander, but judging from its recent warship and aircraft activities, it is a bystander too eager to become involved”, it said. “The fact that ownership of the Islands is disputed does not abrogate the fact that the Islands are subject to a sovereign power other than the US”, Etler noted. “People around the world have sharp eyes for that”, the article concluded.
“Its logic is that if the USA ships can enter waters off Xisha Islands where China has demarked territorial waters, they can do the same to the Nansha Islands where no baseline has been announced so far”.
“This operation challenged attempts by the three claimants – China, Taiwan and Vietnam – to restrict navigation rights and freedoms”, Davis said, reflecting the USA position that the resource rich sea should be treated as global waters.
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It is strongly desired that Washington abandon its own standards to observe global laws and act as a responsible power, rather than stirring up trouble in the South China Sea and then making a false countercharge against others.
