[ad_1]
A US Navy warship patrolled Sunday near at least two outposts held by Chinese in the disputed chain of Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, challenging Beijing's maritime claims in the face of growing tensions between the two countries.
The guided missile destroyer USS Decatur flew over the reefs of Gaven and Johnson during a 10-hour patrol in the South China Sea, within 12 nautical miles of both entities as part of a operation of freedom of navigation, or FONOP.
The two outposts are among the seven where China has built heavily fortified artificial islands since 2013, raising fears among its Asian neighbors and the United States that Beijing could use them to assert its claims over most of the world. South China Sea.
US forces operating in the region regularly sail in international waters and still respect international law, said a US official, adding that such patrols demonstrate that the United States "will fly, sail and operate wherever international law is concerned. will allow".
"This is true in the South China Sea as elsewhere in the world," said the official. "The FONOPs do not concern a particular country, nor do they make political statements," the official said.
The Chinese government did not react immediately. Beijing claims to have "indisputable sovereignty" over all the islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters.
Last week, China said the recent flight of US B-52 bombers over the South China Sea was "provocative". The Pentagon has called the flight routine.
The last time the United States conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea, it was in May, when two warships – the USS Antietam and the USS Higgins – crossed the Paracel Islands.
These maritime patrols are usually scheduled weeks in advance. Yet Sunday's patrol comes amid growing tensions with China.
This month, the State Department imposed sanctions on a Chinese military agency for buying Russian fighter jets and a ground-to-air missile system.
Controlled by China,
claimed by Vietnam
and Taiwan
Claimed in whole or in part
by Brunei, China, Malaysia,
Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam
Reefs China has shot
in the artificial islands
Controlled by China,
claimed by Vietnam
and Taiwan
Claimed in whole or in part
by Brunei, China, Malaysia,
Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam
China Reefs
it's transformed into
artificial islands
Controlled by China,
claimed by Vietnam
and Taiwan
Claimed in whole or in part
by Brunei, China, Malaysia,
Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam
Reefs China has shot
in the artificial islands
China Reefs
it's transformed into
artificial islands
* Controlled by China, claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan
† Claimed in whole or in part by Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam
China has officially complained about US Ambassador Terry Branstad and the interim defense attaché, and recalled the Beijing Navy's head, Vice Admiral Shen Jinlong, during A high profile visit to the United States, thus canceling a meeting of Pentagon Operator John Richardson. China has also rejected a request from the US Navy that an American warship plan a port visit to Hong Kong.
The tension on economic issues between the two countries has also been strong. The Trump administration imposed new tariffs of 10% on Chinese goods worth $ 200 billion last week, which led China to declare tariffs on $ 60 billion worth of goods US.
The patrol follows Sunday a series of patrols conducted by US allies, including a British ship that conducted a patrol for freedom of navigation in August in Paracels, controlled by China but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan. French naval vessels sailed through the Spratly Islands in May. This month, a South Korean naval vessel sailed near disputed waters in the South China Sea, but Seoul said the ship was taking refuge during a typhoon and was not challenging China's claims.
Write to Gordon Lubold at [email protected] and Jeremy Page at [email protected]
Source link
