Topline
The Chinese military on Wednesday claimed it had “driven away” a U.S. Navy warship sailing near a set of disputed islands in the South China Sea, a move that is likely to raise tensions in a region where stand-offs between both militaries are becoming more frequent.
In this photo provided by U.S. Navy, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG … [+]
Key Facts
According to Reuters, the destroyer USS Benfold sailed near the disputed Paracel Islands that China claims as a part of its territory.
The Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command claimed it used air and naval assets to “follow, monitor, warn and drive away” the U.S. warship from Chinese territorial waters.
In a statement, the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet dismissed Beijing’s assertions, noting that it was simply asserting “navigational rights and freedoms” in the South China Sea in line with international law.
The Navy, which regularly carries out what it calls “freedom of navigation operations” in the South China Sea, said China’s “unlawful and sweeping” territorial claims threaten both navigation and commerce in the region.
Beijing, however, insisted that the U.S. Navy’s actions simply serve to stoke up tensions as it does not block ships or aircraft from passing through the region, the Reuters report added.
Key Background
The Paracel Islands have been a major territorial flashpoint as they have also been claimed both by Taiwan and Vietnam. In 1974, China took control of the island chain after expelling the then South Vietnamese government from it. Besides the Paracels, China claims about 90% of the South China Sea—which serves as a passage for $3 trillion worth of annual trade—as part of its territorial waters. However, several other nations in Southeast Asia including the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim parts of the sea and have challenged China’s assertion. In 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague dismissed China’s claims over the sea, but Beijing has refused to accept the ruling.
Tangent
As the Biden administration has pivoted its attention towards the Indo-Pacific, it has regularly criticized China’s actions in the region. Last year, during her tour of Asia, vice president Kamala Harris accused Beijing of engaging in “coercion” and “intimidation” to stake its claims on the South China Sea as well as trying to upend the global “rules-based order” by threatening the sovereignty of nations. China shot back against Harris’ claims through its state-controlled media by accusing the U.S. of trying to “drive a wedge between the Southeast Asian nations and China.” In May, tensions between China and the U.S. flared further after President Joe Biden said he would be willing to use military force to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion.
Further Reading
China says it ‘drove’ away U.S. destroyer that sailed near disputed isles (Reuters)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/07/13/chinese-military-claims-drove-away-us-navy-warship-operating-in-south-china-sea/