FINANCIAL TIMES

30-1-16

US Navy destroyer sails near island claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam

Geoff Dyer in Washington

A US Navy destroyer sailed on Saturday within 12 nautical miles of an island claimed by China and two other states in the South China Sea, the latest in a series of operations the Pentagon says are designed to defend freedom of navigation.

The USS Curtis Wilbur navigated within 12 miles of Triton Island in the Paracel island chain, which is controlled by China and also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

Known as a freedom of navigation operation, the Pentagon says the US does not use such patrols to dispute claims to the actual islands but seeks to challenge restrictions on the surrounding waters.

“This operation challenged attempts by the three claimants, China, Taiwan and Vietnam, to restrict navigation rights and freedoms around the features they claim by policies that require prior permission or notification of transit within territorial seas,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

US officials said that the patrol was conducted under the basis of “innocent passage”, which allows for navy vessels to pass through another country’s territorial waters if they do not conduct military operations. No Chinese naval vessels were in the vicinity, officials said.

The US says it has conducted such operations in the area for decades, however the patrols have become more politically charged over the past two years because of China’s aggressive campaign to build man-made islands, mostly in the Spratlys, another group of islands in the South China Sea.

As well as port facilities that could be used by warships, images suggest that China is constructing four airfields on the man-made or reclaimed islands which could accommodate most military aircraft.

China immediately criticised the operation by the USS Curtis Wilbur, an Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer. “The American warship has violated relevant Chinese laws by entering Chinese territorial waters without prior permission, and the Chinese side has taken relevant measures including monitoring and admonishments,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

The patrol on Saturday follows the October passage of the USS Lassen, another destroyer, within 12 miles of Subi Reef, a man-made island in the Spratlys, which also drew an angry response from China.

At the time, the Pentagon was criticised for not outlining more clearly the legal underpinning of the Lassen operation. Earlier this week, Admiral Harry Harris, the head of the US Pacific Command, said the operation had challenged China’s claims to territorial waters around Subi Reef by not giving prior notification to Beijing.

“As we continue down the path of freedom of navigation operations, you will see more of them and you will see them increasing in complexity and scope,” he said.