US naval chief says ‘freedom of navigation’ exercises in South China Sea get more attention than they deserve
- Admiral John Richardson says the US has been as consistent in number of its operations across the South China Sea as Beijing has in criticising them
The head of United States naval operations said on Wednesday that its “freedom of navigation” exercises in the South China Sea are given more attention than they deserve.
The US Navy said two of its warships sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on Monday last week, a move that angered Beijing as the nations battle over trade tariffs.
“The operations get more attention in the media and also, sometimes from China, than they warrant, to be honest,” John Richardson said at the sixth International Maritime Security Conference in Changi, Singapore.
China claims most of the energy-rich waters through which trillions of dollars worth of ship-borne trade passes every year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims on the territory.
Richardson said the number of US naval operations around the globe was consistent across the decades and had not increased recently.
“I’ve done the analysis and I can state with confidence that our level of operations has been consistent over the decades,” Richardson said, adding that there had been “no spikes recently”.