The USS Benfold travelled near the archipelago of more than 100 reefs and islands, which are occupied by China and claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan, in a “freedom of navigation operation” the US said was necessary to assert rights and freedoms under international law in disputed waters.
“Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas, including the freedoms of navigation and overflight, free trade and unimpeded commerce, and freedom of economic opportunity for South China Sea littoral nations,” the US 7th Fleet said in a statement on Wednesday.
Beijing, which took control of the Paracels’ Woody Island in 1955, reacted angrily to the presence of the US destroyer. Woody Island is the most prominent feature in the island chain and China has built an airport and other facilities there.
“On July 13, the U.S. guided missile destroyer “Benfold” illegally broke into China’s Paracel territorial waters without the approval of the Chinese government,” Tian Junli, the spokesperson for the Chinese military’s Southern Theatre Command, said in a statement.
The move “seriously damaged the peace and stability of the South China Sea, and seriously violated international law and the norms of international relations”, Tian said, according to Reuters news agency.
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A US destroyer sailed near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on Wednesday, drawing an angry reaction from Beijing, which said its military had "driven away" the ship after it illegally entering territorial waters.
ReplyDeleteThe United States regularly carries out what it calls Freedom of Navigation Operations in the South China Sea challenging what it says are restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China and other claimants.
The US Navy said the USS Benfold "asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands, consistent with international law."