US Navy to sail near reefs claimed by China

China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang blasted the exercise, saying that the ship “illegally entered” the waters near the islands “without receiving permission from the Chinese government”. “The Chinese side expresses strong displeasure and decisive protest to the actions of the American side”, the vice minister said.

In its original state Subi Reef was submerged and so did not generate legal maritime zones or sovereignty claims under most interpretations of worldwide law.

In 2013 and 2014, the U.S. conducted Freedom of Navigation operations of different kinds against China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam – each of whom occupies territory in the South China Sea. But the Philippines, a USA ally, welcomed the move as a way of helping maintain “a balance of power” in the strategic waterway.

China’s assertive behavior in 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.

The USS Lassen, a guided missile destroyer, passed within the normal limit of a formation claimed by China, which said its own warships monitored, shadowed and warned the vessel over the exercise. Shipbuilder China CSSC Holdings Ltd. climbed 4.4% in Shanghai, while Aerospace Communications Holding Group Co. surged 10%. “Nations routinely come within those 12 nautical miles. And that certainly includes the ability of our navy to operate in worldwide waters”, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said. “Ensuring the free flow of this commerce and that freedom of navigation of those vessels is protected is critically important to the global economy”.

China may choose to respond without directly challenging USA ships with its Navy or coast guard.

“While the U.S. acts like an impetuous adolescent, goading China to a fight, China is playing the role of the mature adult in this misadventure, willing to let the transgression go with a simple admonition”, he told Press TV on Tuesday.

But just sending one ship through is not taking action in a serious way, said Bolton.

“Such provocations threaten to worsen the already gaping deficit of mutual trust between Beijing and Washington, which stems partly from the latter’s frequent close-in air and sea surveillance and reconnaissance against China”, it said. China contends its building of airstrips and other facilities is mostly for civilian purposes.

The United States should remember its commitment that it would take no position on territorial disputes, Zhang added.

To address Chinese charges of double standards, the US Navy should avoid involving Southeast Asian Spratlys claimants directly in the operations, and should be prepared to assert FoN where they have also engaged in creeping jurisdiction.

“We have is a close exchange of information”, Yoshihide Suga said at a daily briefing, declining further “comment on every move” by United States forces.

China says building work and Washington’s land reclamation is not illegal.