link : China condemns US navy sail-by in disputed waters
China condemns US navy sail-by in disputed waters
China on Friday accused the US of "provocative" conduct after two US warships sailed near islands claimed by Beijing this week, adding to tensions between the global powers.
The US Navy regularly conducts "freedom of navigation operations" in the disputed South China Sea, where China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have competing claims.
The US Navy said the USS Gabrielle Giffords littoral combat ship sailed near Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands Wednesday, and the USS Wayne E. Meyer guided-missile destroyer passed the Paracel Islands on Thursday.
"USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) challenged the restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam and also contested China's claim to straight baselines enclosing the Paracel Islands," Commander Reann Mommsen, spokeswoman for the US 7th Fleet based in Japan, told AFP.
"USS Gabrielle Giffords demonstrated that Mischief Reef, a low-tide elevation in its natural state, is not entitled to a territorial sea under international law."
China dispatched military vessels to identify and monitor the US ships and warned them to leave, the People's Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command said in a statement Friday.
"Recently, the US has used the pretext of 'freedom of navigation' to frequently send warships to the South China Sea area to cause trouble," the statement said.
"We urge the US to cease this kind of provocative, risky conduct, to prevent unforeseen incidents."
Mommsen said the operations were designed to "demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows -- regardless of the location of excessive maritime claims and regardless of current events".
Washington and Beijing are locked in a bruising trade war and have tussled over diplomatic issues, including a bill passed by the US Congress this week in support of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
China has laid claim to nearly all of the South China Sea and has built numerous military outposts on the small islands and atolls of the region, angering other claimants.
In recent months, the US military has stepped up its freedom of navigation operations or "FONOPS" in the region, irking Beijing but not sparking any direct confrontation thus far.
China has effectively drawn a property line around the whole of the Paracels archipelago -- which it calls the Xisha Islands -- to claim the entire territory.
But the United States says that does not accord with international law on archipelagos and territorial seas.
Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
| Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution. |
||
| SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal |
 |
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only |
Poland, Lithuania hail NATO's 'vitality' in clash with France
Vilnius (AFP) Nov 21, 2019
The presidents of Poland and Lithuania, two NATO members on the alliance's strategically sensitive eastern flank, on Thursday rejected France's view that it was experiencing "brain death", insisting they saw "no trouble with its vitality". "The increased (US) military presence in Poland in coordination with NATO... demonstrates NATO's vitality," Poland's President Andrzej Duda said at a press conference in Vilnius with his Lithuanian counterpart Gitanas Nauseda. US President Donald Trump in Sept ... read more
from Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense https://ift.tt/2selkK1
via space News
thus Article China condemns US navy sail-by in disputed waters
You now read the article China condemns US navy sail-by in disputed waterswith the link address https://uswordarmy.blogspot.com/2019/11/china-condemns-us-navy-sail-by-in.html
0 Response to "China condemns US navy sail-by in disputed waters"
Post a Comment