Beijing says U.S. warship sailing near Paracel Islands violated Chinese laws

Taiping Island is now the southernmost territory under the control of the Republic of China, located more than 1,600 kilometers from southern Taiwan. Although it is controlled – and as some would say “occupied” – by China, it is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. Washington has no position on the competing sovereignty claims to naturally formed land features in the disputed region, but it maintains that the crucial sea lane should be treated as worldwide waters.

The U.S. operation in the South China Sea was aimed at China, which has raised tensions with the U.S. and its Southeast Asian neighbors by recently embarking on massive construction of man-made islands and airstrips in the contested waters.

By repeatedly sending military ships on so-called “freedom of navigation” missions in the area, the United States is actually abusing the freedom of navigation and pursuing selfish gains at the cost of others.

Just 95 days ago, the US Navy sailed the USS Lassen within 12 nautical miles of the Zhubi Reef, part of China’s Nansha Islands in the South China Sea.

Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou gives a speech on the disputed Itu Aba or Taiping island in the South China Sea, January 28, 2016.

Tension in the region has been building for months.

Captain Davis said the latest operation sought to challenge policies that require prior permission or notification of transit within territorial seas.

“No claimants were notified prior to the transit, which is consistent with our normal process and global law”, Davis said.

Thus, the USA strategy now.

A recent study warned the South China Sea could become “virtually a Chinese lake” by 2030 if China continues its rush to acquire new naval assets. Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh declared that his country respected the “innocent passage” of ships through territorial waters.

What’s more, the conspiratorial and canny designing, an unclad compromise between the Barack Obama administration and the hawks in the US army, is driven by nothing but the bipartisan politics in Washington, as the Democrats and the Republicans are on the threshold of a mud wrestling for the presidency, during which, they always pick another country as a scapegoat to squeeze suppport from American voters.

China’s official response has been restrained compared to the public outrage seen online, according to Xinhua.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Saturday that under a Chinese law enacted in 1992, foreign warships entering China’s territorial waters must obtain approval from the Chinese government.

Yet perhaps, once again, the muted reaction is a dividend of the careful U.S. approach, relaying to China that the United States will counter excessive territorial claims, but in such a way as to minimise the risk of direct confrontation. Liang Fang, with the PLA National Defense University, said Washington aims to test Beijing in relation to the sea.

The United States has been here before.

“The excessive claims regarding Triton Island are inconsistent with global law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention”.

“[Chinese leader] Xi’s PLA [People’s Liberation Army] will push, and it will bluster, but it will stop at the point at which it meets credible resistance”, writes Garnaut.

The analyst talked about statements made by US Senator John McCain and Representative Randy Forbes about the US military activities in the disputed waters, saying these statements are disingenuous.