South China Sea: PLA forces tail US warship near disputed Spratly Islands as live-fire drills around Taiwan enter day 3

Guided-missile destroyer USS Milius ‘illegally intruded’ into waters near Mischief Reef, PLA Southern Theatre Command says
US Navy statement claims freedom of navigation, says the reef, a low-tide elevation in its natural state, is not entitled to a territorial sea

South China Sea

Vanessa Caiin Shanghai

Published: 7:21pm, 10 Apr 2023

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The People’s Liberation Army said it followed and monitored a US warship after it “illegally” passed close to the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on Monday, as Chinese military drills around Taiwan entered their third and final day.

The USS Milius, a guided-missile destroyer of the US Navy, had “illegally intruded” into waters near Mischief Reef in the Spratlys, without the approval of the Chinese government, according to the PLA’s Southern Theatre Command.

“China has indisputable sovereignty over islands in the South China Sea and their nearby waters, and troops in the theatre maintain a high state of readiness at all times to resolutely defend national sovereignty and security, and peace and stability in the South China Sea,” command spokesman Tian Junli said.

The Spratly Islands, known as the Nansha Islands in China, are a contested archipelago wholly or partly claimed by six regional governments.

Mischief Reef, located to the east of the island group, has been controlled and built-up by Beijing since 1994, but the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also claim sovereignty.

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The PLA “organised naval and air forces to follow, monitor and stay on alert during the whole process” as the USS Milius sailed near the reef, Tian said.

A US Navy statement said the destroyer’s passage was a freedom of navigation operation in line with international law.

This came as PLA war games around Taiwan entered their last day. The live-fire “Joint Sword” exercises were launched on Saturday, shortly after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen returned from a trip to Central America, which included a meeting with the US House speaker during a transit stop in California.

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Beijing, which views Taiwan as breakaway territory with no right to diplomatic ties with other governments, had repeatedly warned against such a meeting and vowed “resolute and powerful measures” if it went ahead.

Most countries, including the US, do not view Taiwan as an independent state, but are opposed to any change of the status quo by force.

Tsai’s meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday was the first such high-level talks on US soil since Washington officially broke ties with Taipei and recognised Beijing as China’s sole government in 1979.

The PLA drills included simulated missile strikes on Taiwan and were conducted by troops from the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, which oversees the Taiwan Strait.

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In its statement on the USS Milius on Monday, the 7th Fleet of the US Navy said the warship had “asserted navigational rights and freedoms” near the Spratly Islands in accordance with international law.

It also said the vessel conducted “normal operations” within 12 nautical miles (22km) of the disputed reef, referring to the internationally recognised limit of territorial waters. This “demonstrated that vessels can lawfully exercise high-seas freedoms in those areas”.

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The passage also “demonstrated that Mischief Reef, a low-tide elevation in its natural state, is not entitled to a territorial sea under international law”, the statement added.

The destroyer “exited the excessive claim area” following the operation and continued on its way in the South China Sea.

“The United States challenges excessive maritime claims around the world regardless of the identity of the claimant … The international community has an enduring role in preserving the freedom of the seas, which is critical to global security, stability, and prosperity,” the US Navy said.