U.S. Warships Surrounded Disputed South China Sea
A US warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of a disputed island in the South China Sea Saturday to assert freedom of navigation, drawing a protest from Beijing, officials said.
'We conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea earlier tonight,' Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said in a statement.
Davis said the guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur made the 'innocent passage' off Triton Island in the Paracel island chain, which is claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam.
No Chinese navy ships were in the area at the time the US destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of the tiny 1.2 square kilometer island, he said.
The operation was conducted 'to challenge excessive maritime claims of parties that claim the Paracel Islands,' Davis said.
While the United States takes no position on the various claims to the island, it does not recognize any claimant's right to its territorial waters.
Beijing quickly responded, saying the move violated Chinese law and urging the United States to maintain peace.
'The US warship, in violation of relevant Chinese laws, entered China's territorial waters without authorisation. The Chinese side has taken lawful surveillance, vocal warnings and other related measures,' China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement.
'We urge the US side to respect (and) abide by relevant Chinese laws, to do more things conducive to Sino-US mutual trust and regional peace and stability,' the statement said.
China refers to the islands as the Xisha archipelago. China claims virtually all of the South China Sea, while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have partial claims.
Source: MailOnlineNews
A US warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of a disputed island in the South China Sea Saturday to assert freedom of navigation, drawing a protest from Beijing, officials said.
'We conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea earlier tonight,' Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said in a statement.
Davis said the guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur made the 'innocent passage' off Triton Island in the Paracel island chain, which is claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam.
No Chinese navy ships were in the area at the time the US destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of the tiny 1.2 square kilometer island, he said.
The operation was conducted 'to challenge excessive maritime claims of parties that claim the Paracel Islands,' Davis said.
While the United States takes no position on the various claims to the island, it does not recognize any claimant's right to its territorial waters.
Beijing quickly responded, saying the move violated Chinese law and urging the United States to maintain peace.
'The US warship, in violation of relevant Chinese laws, entered China's territorial waters without authorisation. The Chinese side has taken lawful surveillance, vocal warnings and other related measures,' China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement.
'We urge the US side to respect (and) abide by relevant Chinese laws, to do more things conducive to Sino-US mutual trust and regional peace and stability,' the statement said.
China refers to the islands as the Xisha archipelago. China claims virtually all of the South China Sea, while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have partial claims.
Source: MailOnlineNews
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