South China Sea patrols will continue

“This move seems to have been carefully planned and well executed to mitigate as much risk as possible”, said Derek Chollet, a former assistant secretary of defense for global security affairs. Hence, the scope for muscle flexing by the United States and corresponding push-back by China.

In fact, Carter was simply following White House orders, administration officials said.

“We will do it again”, a United States official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. If the United States seeks to shore up its credibility, it would be better to show that it is able to “degrade and destroy ISIS”, as it committed itself to doing more than a year ago, rather than escalating and militarizing the conflict with China.

“[Whether the two sides can resolve their issues] does not depend exclusively on the Chinese side”, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

“Especially, this could help the USA side better perceive and understand China’s actions in the South China Sea to champion legal rights and interests, have further recognition of China’s islands constructions, and avoid misunderstanding or miscalculation”, Zhang said.

Beijing’s response, although heated, essentially repeated language it had used in the past about its sovereignty over the South China Sea.

The sail-by was “long overdue”, said Bonnie Glaser, a senior China expert at CSIS, adding that the exercises “should be done quietly, regularly, and often”. Zhubi reef facing claims are part of Spartley island group. It has completed another such runway in the Spratlys, on Fiery Cross Reef, and is working on a third.

The U.S. proceeding with such missions poses as a threat against China, as it is inevitably seen as a military challenge against China’s territorial claims. However, the waters around the Spratly archipelago are also claimed by Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan. “The other claimants, non-claimants in maritime Southeast Asia, as well as nations outside the region, such as Japan and Australia, are increasingly concerned about China’s militarization of its islands”.

The Royal Australian Navy has for months been preparing a contingency plan to send a warship or a military aircraft close to China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea in case the government decides to carry out a freedom of navigation exercise there.

Similar transits are expected in the future, the USA official said, although no dates or times were provided. However, reclamation of natural features that did not originally broach water at high tide does not entitle a 12nm limit, of which Subi Reef is one example.

A foreign ministry spokesman said that the ship had “illegally entered” waters near the islands.

“In one of the many war cemeteries in Lang Son, a city in northern Vietnam, Pham Thi Ky and her family light incense and offer prayers for her brother-in-law, who died 36 years ago in Vietnam’s brief but bloody border war with China”. Australia, a key U.S. ally in the region, expressed its strong support for freedom of navigation this week, while stopping short of welcoming the USS Lassen’s patrol.

He said: “China’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea is alarming neighbours, and the United States is seeking to reassure them that order will be based on regional and worldwide norms, not one country’s unilateral changes to the status quo”.