A US Navy guided-missile destroyer yesterday sailed within 12 nautical miles (22km) of an island claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam in the South China Sea, in an operation the Pentagon said was aimed at challenging efforts to restrict freedom of navigation.
China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than US$5 trillion of world trade is shipped every year. Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines have rival claims to all or portions of the region.
Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said no ships from China’s military were in the vicinity of the USS Curtis Wilbur when it passed near Triton Island (Jhongjian Island, 中建島) in the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島).
Photo: EPA
“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.
The US Navy conducted a similar exercise in October last year, in which the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen sailed close to one of China’s artificial islands, drawing a rebuke from Beijing.
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.
“No claimants were notified prior to the transit, which is consistent with our normal process and international law,” Davis said.
The operation followed calls in the US Congress for the administration of US President Barack Obama to follow up on the October operation.
This month, US Senate Committee on Armed Services chairman John McCain was critical of Obama for delaying further freedom of navigation patrols.
He said the delay allowed China to continue to pursue its territorial ambitions in the region.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the warship had violated Chinese law by entering its territorial waters.
“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,” the ministry said in a statement.
The transit by the Curtis Wilbur followed a trip by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) on Thursday.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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