The USA and Chinese defense officials have recently worked out protocols for encounters between ships at sea.
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US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the U.S. would fly and sail wherever worldwide law permitted and would do so at a time and place of its choosing, whether that be in the Arctic or the South China Sea.
Beijing maintains the lighthouses will improve navigation.
The same month, a USA warship sailed through the Spratlys but also remained more than 12 miles away from China’s man-made islands.
The senior adviser on China at the National Security Council, Daniel Kritenbrink, told a gathering of USA analysts of the region at a meeting in Washington that the White House had chose to proceed with the patrols, according to a participant who requested anonymity to discuss a closed-door briefing. Otherwise the Chinese could simply claim the operation represented an “innocent passage” past its islands, something that is allowed within territorial waters. Indeed, a Pentagon official boasted that “if you shut down our power grid, maybe we will put a missile down one of your smokestacks”. Details regarding updated surveillance routines and closer patrols have not been shared as yet.
Other Chinese officials have warned the country would not tolerate intrusions in its territorial waters. “We are prepared to take a few countervailing actions to get their attention”. But that idea was shelved to smooth President Xi’s visit to the US, and the executive order remains unused.
The head of the U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris, is running point on stronger USA military action in the South China Sea.
Beijing just threw down a challenge to the rules-based global system.
Admiral Harry Harris, commander of US forces in the Pacific, has said China’s development of the artificial islands, including the building of runways which are suitable for military use, was a threat to the region. The DFA said last week that Philippines will be confirming the said plan by USA before it will make a statement.
The quasi-ADIZ, Carpio said, was part of China’s grand design to control the South China Sea and the resources therein. The decision to begin the patrols appears to have been delayed to avoid disrupting the summit, people familiar with internal discussions say. The disputed area is believed to contain substantial undersea oil reserves. The two states have come head-to-head over the past year repeatedly on a series of issues ranging from the South China Sea dispute itself to allegations of cyber warfare and economic manipulation.
The issue was not simply geopolitical issue but also involved “the free flow of commerce”, he added.
Ownership of the various rocky reefs and shoals in the South China Sea is disputed by Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines. It is critical that at this juncture United States decision makers remain calm, cool, collected and courageous.
China insists the 12-nautical mile territorial limit applies.
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Bishop welcomed a statement by Chinese President Xi Jingping last month that China did not intend to militarize the islands and said she hoped Beijing would stick to the commitment.
