- China condemns US for undermining international law and disrupting peace in South China Sea
BEIJING: China has accused the US of violating its sovereignty and security after a US Navy ship sailed near a contested reef in the South China Sea.
The Chinese military said it dispatched a naval force to track and warn the USS Gabrielle Giffords, a littoral combat ship, as it conducted a “freedom of navigation” operation near the Second Thomas Shoal on Monday.
The shoal is claimed by both China and the Philippines, and has been the site of a tense standoff since 1999, when the Philippines grounded a warship there to serve as a makeshift outpost.
The US Navy said the operation was aimed at challenging “excessive maritime claims” and “preserving access to the waterways as governed by international law”.
The US and the Philippines have stepped up their military cooperation in recent months, amid rising tensions with China over the South China Sea, where Beijing has built artificial islands and military facilities.
The US and its allies accuse China of violating international law and threatening freedom of navigation and trade in the region. China says it has historical and legal rights to the area, and accuses the US of meddling and stirring up trouble.
China has lashed out at the US for sending a naval ship near a disputed reef in the South China Sea, calling it a “deliberate provocation” that threatens regional peace and stability.
The Chinese military said it deployed a naval force to track and warn the USS Giffords, a littoral combat ship designed to operate in coastal areas, as it conducted a “freedom of navigation” operation near the Second Thomas Shoal on Monday.
‘Violation of international law’
China claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea, where it has built artificial islands and military facilities on some of the reefs and outcroppings. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims to parts of the area, creating a complex web of territorial disputes.
China accused the US of violating its sovereignty and security, and of being the “biggest threat” to peace and stability in the region.
“The US deliberately disrupted the situation in the South China Sea, seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security, seriously undermined regional peace and stability, and seriously violated international law and basic norms governing international relations, fully demonstrating that the US is the biggest threat to peace and stability in the South China Sea,” the statement from the Chinese military’s Southern Theater said.
The US Navy said the operation was aimed at challenging “excessive maritime claims” and “preserving access to the waterways as governed by international law”.
The US and its allies have expressed concern over China’s assertive actions in the South China Sea, saying they undermine freedom of navigation and trade in the region. China says it has historical and legal rights to the area, and accuses the US of meddling and stirring up trouble.
