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Beijing protests US warship operation in South China Sea
BEIJING, May 28, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – China has voiced “strong dissatisfaction”
after two US warships sailed by an island claimed by Beijing in the disputed
South China Sea, adding to simmering tensions in the strategic waterway.
The foreign ministry issued a statement expressing “resolute opposition”
to the US sail-by of the territory in the disputed Paracel Island chain on
Sunday.
The US military conducts what it calls “freedom of navigation” voyages in
the South China Sea to contest Beijing’s assertion of territorial rights in
the area, although the US has no claims of its own in the disputed region.
The US Navy’s Higgins and Antietam warships, a destroyer and cruiser
respectively, entered China’s territorial waters without permission and were
met by the Chinese Navy, which “conducted verification and identification of
US ships according to law and warned them to leave,” the ministry said.
State-run news agency Xinhua said the two vessels were “expelled” from the
waters.
The operation was conducted just over a week after Beijing flew nuclear-
capable bombers to a disputed island in a bold powerplay to show its military
might and boost its territorial claims in the area.
The move prompted immediate criticism from the US, which last week pulled
its invitation to China to join maritime exercises in the Pacific because of
Beijing’s “continued militarisation” of the South China Sea.
Beijing has been building artificial islands to reinforce its claim over
most of the resource-rich South China Sea despite protests from Southeast
Asian countries.
Its neighbours, particularly some of those involved in maritime disputes
over the waters, have expressed fears China could eventually restrict freedom
of navigation and overflight.
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1040 hrs