The US military will continue to operate wherever international law allows, a top US admiral said in Beijing yesterday, a week after Washington infuriated Beijing by sailing close to artificial islands it is building in the South China Sea.
“International seas and airspace belong to everyone and are not the dominion of any single nation,” US Admiral Harry Harris said at the Stanford Center at Peking University.
“Our military will continue to fly, sail, and operate whenever and wherever international law allows. The South China Sea is not — and will not — be an exception,” he said, according to a transcript.
Photo: AP
Harris is the head of the US Pacific Command and his public declaration in the Chinese capital is a mark of US resolve over the waterway, where Beijing has built up rocks and reefs into artificial islands with facilities for military use.
Last week, the US gave a practical demonstration of its policy, sailing the USS Lassen guided missile destroyer within 12 nautical miles (22.2km) of at least one of the land formations China claims in the disputed Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島).
Chinese officials rebuked Harris over the action, with People’s Liberation Army Chief of General Staff Fang Fenghui (房峰輝) telling him it had “created a disharmonious atmosphere for our meeting and this is very regretful.”
Washington says it takes no position on sovereignty disputes in the region and the sail-by was intended to protect freedom of navigation under international law.
The USS Lassen’s mission was part of the US’s “routine freedom of navigation operations,” Harris said in his speech, intended to “prevent the decomposition of international laws and norms.”
The “ambiguous maritime claims” represented by China’s “so-called nine-dash line” pose a challenge to navigation, Harris said.
Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also have overlapping claims in the sea.
Harris made some conciliatory remarks, praising US-China ties and pointing out that Chinese and US ships were visiting ports in each other’s countries.
“Some pundits predict a coming clash between our nations. I do not ascribe to this pessimistic view,” he said.
Separately, a US defense official on Monday said that the US Navy plans to conduct patrols within 12 nautical miles of the islands about twice a quarter to remind China and other countries about US rights under international law.
“That’s the right amount to make it regular, but not a constant poke in the eye,” the official said.
Additional reporting by Reuters
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from