The US Navy announced Monday that one of its ships is carrying out an operation in the South China Sea, with Beijing, in military maneuvers around Taiwan, denouncing “the intrusion” of the destroyer.
“This freedom of navigation operation respected the rights, freedoms and legal uses of the sea,” the US Navy said in a statement, adding that the USS Milius had passed near the Spratly Islands.
The ship passed within 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) of Mischief Reef, claimed by China and other countries in the region, the US Navy added.
“The missile destroyer USS Milius illegally entered the waters adjacent to the Meiji Reef [nome oficial chinês para o recife Mischief] in Nansha Islands [nome chinês das Spratly] from China, without the authorization of the Chinese government,” said Tian Junli, spokesman for the Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command.
The Chinese air force “tracked and protected the warship,” it added in a statement.
The passage of this US warship in a disputed area came as China is holding military exercises around Taiwan for the third day in a row, protesting the visit to the US by the island’s leader, Tsai Ing-wen.
China said Thursday it has deployed fighter jets carrying “live ammunition” and the aircraft carrier Shandong to conduct “mock attacks” against targets in Taiwan, after encircling the territory with dozens of planes and warships.
“Several groups of H-6K fighters with live ammunition carried out various simulated attacks against key targets on the island of Taiwan,” the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command said, noting that Shandong also “participated in the exercises ”.
Beijing claims virtually the entire South China Sea, a strategic trade route rich in energy and fisheries resources, but Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam also have claims.
Source: TSF
