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Reuters

China’s defence ministry said on Saturday that a PLA garrison on an island in a disputed area of the South China Sea had taken action to warn off and repel a US Navy destroyer that had entered its territorial waters.
Defence ministry spokesperson Yang Yujun said in a statement that China strongly opposed the “provocative move” by the United States.
The Pentagon had earlier said that the USS Curtis Wilbur had sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island in the South China Sea on Saturday.
A Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davies said the aim of the patrol was to challenge efforts to restrict freedom of navigation in the area.
“This operation challenged attempts by the three claimants - [mainland] China, Taiwan and Vietnam - to restrict navigation rights and freedoms,” he said.
Davis said no ships from China’s military were in the area when the US warship carried out its patrol in the Paracel islands on Saturday.
However, Yang said the PLA garrison on the island had given warnings and taken action to expel the US warship. He did not give details of what kind of action was taken.
READ MORE: Warships sent, US ambassador called in as China bolsters Navy presence in disputed Spratly islands, after US sail-by rattles Beijing’s sovereignty claims
The island is known as Zhongjian Dao in Chinese. It has been controlled by the PLA since 1974 after a naval conflict with Vietnam.
It is the first time the US Navy has challenged China’s territorial claims in the Paracel islands.
A US warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of Mischief and Subi reefs in the Spatly Islands in another disputed area of the South China Sea in October last year.
The patrol incensed China’s government, which described the action as a dangerous provocation.
Pentagon spokesman Davis said the latest operation sought to challenge policies that require prior permission or notification of transit within territorial waters.
“No claimants were notified prior to the transit, which is consistent with our normal process and international law,” he said.
A spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry, Hua Chunying, said the US warship had acted illegally in entering Chinese waters, state television reported.
She urged the US to respect China’s laws and do more to help maintain regional peace and stability.
China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than US$5 trillion of world trade is shipped every year.
Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims.
China has been rapidly developing man-made islands in the region, including building runways, increasing tensions among its neighbours.
READ MORE: China’s neighbours wary of taking sides in Sino-US South China Sea dispute
Li Jie, a Beijing-based naval expert, said the US operation was a direct challenge to China’s claims of sovereignty in the disputed waters.
“The US is trying to test the bottom line of China in the South China Sea issue,” Li said.
He described it as an “unfriendly move” that might challenge relations between the two countries.
Ni Lexiong, a Shanghai-based naval expert, said the US action was a show of force.
“The US wants to show other Asian countries that it has the power to challenge Chinese claims in the Paracel Islands,” he said.


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South China Sea

PLA garrison ‘warns off’ US Navy destroyer sailing close to island in disputed area of South China Sea

(FILES) The guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur patrols the waters of the Arabian Gulf 09 July, 1999, as part of Carrier Task Force Five Zero deployed in support of Operation Southern Watch. The Curtis Wilbur is equipped with the AEGIS Weapons System which is sought by Taiwan from the US as part of a weapons package. US President George W. Bush is expected to announce as early as 24 April, 2001, a decision detailing which weapons will be sold to Taiwan. AFP PHOTO/US NAVY/John SULLIVAN/FILES

The guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur in a file photo from 1999. Photo: AFP

Chinese military aircraft likely to land at new airport in disputed area of South China Sea in coming months, says ex-PLA officer

No Caption Available.

Satellite images of the runway at Fiery Cross Reef in the South China Sea. Photo: Reuters

Storm in the South China Sea: Beijing declares US bombers’ island flyover a ‘serious military provocation’

epa01419570 (FILE) A file photo dated 01 September 1997 shows a US B-52G/H Stratofortress bomber at an undisclosed location. The Air Force said on 21 July 2008 a B-52 bomber carrying six crew members has crashed off the island of Guam. The Coast Guard says two people have been recovered from the waters. Their condition was not immediately available. The accident is the second for the Air Force in 2008 on Guam. The military estimated the loss of the aircraft at 1.4 billion US dollars (882 million euro). EPA/US AIR FORCE - HO EDITORIAL USE ONLY

FILE - In this Monday, May 11, 2015, file photo, this aerial photo taken through a glass window of a military plane shows China's alleged on-going reclamation of Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. China’s campaign of island building in the South China Sea might soon quadruple the number of airstrips available to the People’s Liberation Army in the highly contested and strategically vital region. That could be bad news for other regional contenders, especially the U.S., the Philippines and Vietnam. (Ritchie B. Tongo/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Two US B-52 bombers flew over a disputed area of the South China Sea without notifying Beijing. Photo: AFP

US should respect China’s interests, says foreign minister, in latest salvo after spats over South China Sea and Taiwan arms sales

China is furious that a US B-52 bomber flew near Chinese-built islands in a disputed area of the South China Sea. The US says it is merely exercising its right to free navigation in the area. Photo: Reuters

China, the US and the delicate diplomatic dance for Southeast Asian countries 

Tensions have risen between China and the US with the passages of an American warship and B52 bombers through contested areas of the South China Sea. Photo: AP

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China

Diplomacy

Update | PLA garrison ‘warns off’ US Navy destroyer sailing close to island in disputed area of South China Sea