Beijing Summons US Ambassador Over US Navy Patrol

China has reacted angrily after a U.S. naval warship sailed through disputed waters of the South China Sea, saying the move threatened its “sovereignty”.

In a terse statement, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the Lassen entered the waters “illegally” and without the approval of the Chinese government, “threatening China’s sovereignty and security interests”.

“The Chinese side expresses its strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition”, it said.

This November 2009 file photo shows the US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen, the same vessel dispatched by the United States to sail within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea on October 27, according to a U.S. defense official.

“You don’t need to consult with any nation when you are exercising the right of freedom of navigation in worldwide waters”, Mr John Kirby, the US State Department spokesman, said at a news conference yesterday.

The USS Lassen warship has been considered a potential challenge to China’s territorial claims over the highly disputed region.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam – members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – also claim parts of the sea.

That was technically legal as global law allows for “innocent passage” through another country’s waters, though it’s certainly the kind of thing China has objected to in its own waters.

Xi made it clear in late September after a meeting with Obama in Washington that China had no intention of militarizing the islands in the South China Sea.

Passing the reef at close distance, the US warship did not encounter any resistance, but it was trailed by Chinese ships during its pass.

Lu did not elaborate, except to say he hoped it did not come to that, but his comments suggested China could further boost its military presence in the South China Sea.

The South China Sea has become an increasingly sore point in relations with the United States, even as President Barack Obama and China’s President Xi Jinping have sought to deepen cooperation in other areas.

Separately, the Chinese embassy in Washington stressed that the concept of freedom of navigation-apparently the justification of the USA move- should not be used as an excuse for muscle flexing.

He has warned China would respond resolutely to any country carrying out what he described as deliberately provocative actions.

The USA navy sent a guided-missile destroyer on patrol within a 12-nautical-mile exclusion area around an artificial island in Spratly Islands on Tuesday.

“We have one regional superpower who makes, shall we say, a few controversial announcements, and the Americans have stated that, if left unchallenged, then this is accepted”. China will nearly certainly accelerate its island building and outfitting activities now that the US has officially challenged Beijing’s wishes to stay away.