China Accuses US Of ‘Provocation’ As US Destroyer Sails Near Triton Island
A US Navy destroyer, USS Stethem, on Sunday sailed within 12 nautical miles of the disputed Triton Island in the South China Sea. China has termed the exercise as "serious political and military provocation."
Beijing dispatched military vessels and fighter planes in response to warn off the US warship, China's foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a statement late Sunday night, China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reported.
READ: USS Dewey Sails In South China Sea Amid Territorial Dispute
This “freedom of navigation exercise” can worsen the US-China relationship as China claims the island along with almost all of the South China Sea. China has recently come up with facilities like a helicopter landing site at the island. A large Chinese flag is displayed on the island, visible from aerial and satellite photos, CNN reported.
Triton Island is a part of the Paracel Islands cluster that has been at the center of disputes in South China Sea, as these islands are claimed by China, as well as neighboring countries like Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Apart from being a major shipping route, the area is a rich fishing ground and is believed to have abundant oil and gas reserves. While conflicts in the area have gone on for centuries, tension has steadily increased in recent years as Beijing has begun re-asserting its claims. China claims the largest portion of territory. It also issued a map in 1947 detailing its claims.
China has built many artificial islands in the area of late, and houses military facilities in the disputed region. However, it denies any offensive agenda, saying the facilities are for civilian and defense purposes, BBC reported.
Rules of the United Nations state that any territory can claim the waters up to 12 nautical miles (one nautical mile is about 1.15 miles) from its coast, as defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The sailing of a U.S. ship within those limits indicates the U.S. does not recognize those territorial claims. Freedom of navigation operations are designed to challenge claims to disputed territory. Washington has questioned China's annexations of South China Sea islets while advocating for a diplomatic settlement between the Asian powerhouse and its neighbors.
Brushing off repeated U.S. warnings against its occupation and aggressive reclamation of islands in disputed waters, Beijing says it is within its sovereign rights to do so.
The USS Stethem operation, meant to demonstrate freedom of navigation in disputed waters, came just few days before the scheduled meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the G20 summit to be held in Germany next week.
The operation is the second of its kind carried out by the U.S. since Trump took office. The first was on May 25, when the USS Dewey, a guided-missile destroyer, sailed less than 12 nautical miles from Mischief Reef - part of the disputed Spratly Islands, south of the Paracel Islands.
READ: Military Infrastructure On South China Sea Islands Near Completion
Trump has stepped up pressure on Beijing in the last few days, alleging China has not made enough efforts to create pressure on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs, reports said.
On Thursday, the administration imposed sanctions on two Chinese citizens and a shipping company for helping North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, and accused a Chinese bank of laundering money for Pyongyang. The Trump administration has also approved an arms package for Taiwan worth about $1.4 billion.
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