China says US forcing it to strengthen presence in South China Sea
US freedom of navigation patrols in disputed waters provoking conflict and compelling China to counter the threat, says Communist Party newspaper
China’s Communist Party mouthpiece, decrying Washington as a troublemaker, said on Monday US moves in the South China Sea like last week’s freedom of navigation operation would only cause China to strengthen its deployments in the disputed waterway.
China’s foreign ministry said the USS Hopper destroyer came within 12 nautical miles of Huangyan Island, which is better known as the Scarborough Shoal and is subject to a rival claim by the Philippines, a historic ally of the United States.
It was the latest US naval operation challenging extensive Chinese claims in the South China Sea and came even as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks Chinese cooperation in dealing with North Korea’s missile and nuclear programmes.
The ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily said in a commentary that, with the situation generally improving in the South China Sea, it was clear that the United States was the one militarising the region.
“Against this backdrop of peace and cooperation, a US ship wantonly provoking trouble is single-minded to the point of recklessness,” the paper said.
The commentary was published under the pen name “Zhong Sheng”, meaning “Voice of China”, which is often used to give the paper’s view on foreign policy issues.
The Scarborough Shoal is located within the Philippines’ 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone, but an international tribunal in 2016 ruled that it is a traditional fishing ground that no one country has sole rights to exploit.
The US military says it carries out “freedom of navigation” operations throughout the world, including in areas claimed by allies, and that they are separate from political considerations.
The Pentagon has not commented directly on the latest patrol, but said such operations were routine.
