China on Friday said it would not stand for violations of its territorial waters in the name of freedom of navigation, as the US considers sailing warships close to China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea.
A US defense official on Thursday said that the US was considering sending ships to waters inside the 12 nautical mile (22km) zones that China claims as territory around islands it has built in the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島).
Western media reports quoted US officials as saying the action could take place within a matter of days, but awaited a decision by US President Barack Obama.
The commander of US forces in the Pacific, Admiral Harry Harris, on Friday declined to say whether the US would carry out the plan, but he made clear it was an option he had presented to Obama and said the US must carry out freedom of navigation patrols throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
“I simply won’t discuss future operations,” Harris told a Washington seminar. “With regards to whether we are going to sail within 12 miles, or fly within 12 miles, of any of the reclaimed islands that China has built in the South China Sea, I will reserve that for later.”
Earlier on Friday, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) warned against any such patrols.
“We will never allow any country to violate China’s territorial waters and airspace in the Spratly Islands, in the name of protecting freedom of navigation and overflight,” Hua told a regular news briefing. “We urge the related parties not to take any provocative actions, and genuinely take a responsible stance on regional peace and stability.”
China claims most of the South China Sea, where Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have overlapping claims.
Washington has signaled it does not recognize Beijing’s sovereignty over the several islands China has built on reefs in the Spratly Islands and says the US Navy will continue to operate wherever international law allows.
The issue is central to increasingly tense relations between the US and China, the world’s two largest economies.
During a visit to Washington by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) last month, the two sides finalized an agreement aimed at reducing the possibility of aerial clashes.
On the eve of Xi’s visit, the Pentagon said a Chinese aircraft performed an unsafe maneuver during an air intercept of a US spy plane on Sept. 15 over the Yellow Sea.
Harris told the seminar he believed the incident was the result of “poor airmanship” rather than a directive from Chinese headquarters.
In related news, China has completed the construction of two lighthouses in the South China Sea, Xinhua news agency reported.
A completion ceremony was held for the lighthouses on Cuarteron Reef (Huayang Reef, 華陽礁) in the Spratly Islands, Xinhua said late on Friday.
The US and the Philippines have opposed the construction.
Beijing has said construction in the region is to help maritime search and rescue, disaster relief, environmental protection and navigational security.
It has also said it will continue to build other installations to better serve nations in the region.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS