UK to ship China Sea defiance

UK to ship China Sea defiance

Patricia Lourdes Viray (philstar.com) – October 24, 2018 – 1:17 pm

MANILA, Philippines – In the act of defiance against Beijing's expansive claims in the South China Sea, London has suggested that British ships will sail to the contested waterway.

Adm. Sir Philip Jones, the British Royal Navy's top official, said the United Kingdom has an obligation to showcase military support for its allies in the region.

"Jones told the Financial Times, referring to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

"Otherwise you could see them around the world who will start to make their own interpretations," he added.

China has refused to accept the July 2016 ruling of a United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal that invalidated its nine-dash line claim over the South China Sea.

The court concluded that Beijing violated its commitment to the exclusive economic zone.

Last month, Chinese state media published an editorial slamming the British Navy's "reckless actions" that challenge China's sovereignty.

"It is the continuous provocative maneuvers that have escalated tensions and threatened the stability and endangered maritime safety in the South China Sea," China Daily said in its September 6 editorial published.

In its editorial, China may be in danger if it continues in the South China Sea.

"China and the UK have agreed to actively explore the possibility of discussing trade-offs," he said.

The China Daily editorial was published a week after British Royal Navy warship sailed close to the Paracel Island chain in the South China Sea.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry describes the British action as "provocative" for supposedly infringing.

"China strongly urges the British side to immediately stop such provocative actions, to avoid harassing the balance of bilateral relations and regional peace and stability," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.