Washington/Shanghai, Jan 31: A US Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of an island claimed by China and two other states in the South China Sea Saturday to counter efforts to limit freedom of navigation, the Pentagon said prompting an angry reaction from China.
China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of world trade is shipped annually. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims.
Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said no ships from China’s military were in the vicinity of the guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur when it passed near Triton island.
The US Navy conducted a similar exercise in October in which the guided-missile destroyer Lassen sailed close to one of China’s man-made islands, also drawing a rebuke from Beijing.
“This operation challenged attempts by the three claimants – China, Taiwan and Vietnam – to restrict navigation rights and freedoms,” Davis said, reflecting the US position that the crucial sea lane should be treated as international waters.
Davis said the latest operation sought to challenge policies that require prior permission or notification of transit within territorial seas. He said the US took no position on competing sovereignty claims to naturally formed land features in the South China Sea. China condemned the US action as provocative. “The American warship has violated relevant Chinese laws by entering Chinese territorial waters without prior permission, and the Chinese side has taken relevant measures including monitoring and admonishments,” China’s foreign ministry said.
China’s defense ministry calling the American action “intentionally provocative and “irresponsible and extremely dangerous”.
The ministry also said Chinese navy vessels had taken responsive action, conducted identification checks and gave warnings for the ship to keep its distance. Reuters
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