United States warship in South China Sea irks China

A USA warship sailed near a disputed island in the South China Sea on Saturday in a bid to counter efforts to limit freedom of navigation, the Pentagon said over the weekend.

The U.S. has claimed the attempts to restrict navigational rights by requiring prior notice is inconsistent with worldwide law and pledged to regularly carry out similar maneuvers.

“The US warship violated Chinese law and entered China’s territorial sea without authorisation”, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

A commentary published today by the state-controlled Xinhua news wire said, “Obviously, the U.S. warship’s incursion into China’s territorial sea without authorization violated both Chinese and worldwide law”.

The move on the part of the U.S.is “a deliberate provocation”, Yang Yujun, China’s Ministry of National Defense spokesman, said in a statement, according to the official Xinhua News Agency on Saturday.

The US action was “highly risky and irresponsible”, Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular press briefing, adding it “gravely harmed the peace and stability of the relevant region” in the pursuit of “American naval hegemony”. “Whatever provocative action the USA takes, the Chinese military will take all necessary measures to resolutely protect the nation’s sovereignty and security”. According to China’s Defense Ministry, Chinese troops on the islands and Navy vessels and warplanes took action immediately.

The U.S. vessel, the missile destroyer Curtis Wilbur, entered the waters off Triton Island in the Paracel Islands chain Saturday without giving China notice in an exercise meant to challenge “excessive maritime claims” by China and two other countries, said Mark Wright, a Pentagon spokesman. The US takes no position on competing sovereignty claims between the parties to naturally-formed land features in the South China Sea, Urban reiterated.

China says virtually the entire South China Sea and its islands, reefs and atolls are its sovereign territory, although five other regional governments have overlapping claims.

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.

The operation followed calls in Congress for the Obama administration to follow up on the October operation.

“It is important to recognise that all states have a right under worldwide law to freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight, including in the South China Sea”.

China has been accused of creating tension in the region as it continues to lay claim disputed islands and reefs that are located along worldwide trade routes.

However, Urban said that U.S. does take a strong position on protecting the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all countries and that all maritime claims must comply with worldwide law.

The so-called “navigation freedom plan” pursued by the United States for many years does not accord with worldwide law.

The boat passed in the Paracel Islands close to Triton Island, a statement said.

A Chinese statement on territorial sea baseline on May 15, 1996 announced part of the baseline of the territorial sea adjacent to China’s mainland and the baseline of the territorial sea adjacent to the Xisha Islands.