Exclusive: U.S. warship sails near islands Beijing claims in South China Sea - U.S. officials

[webfact]

Exclusive: U.S. warship sails near islands Beijing claims in South China Sea - U.S. officials

By Idrees Ali

 

USS Chafee, a US Navy destroyer which operates 100 percent on biofuel, sails about 150 miles (241 km) north of the island of Oahu during the RIMPAC Naval exercises off Hawaii July 18,2012. REUTERS/Hugh Gentry/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on Tuesday, three U.S. officials told Reuters, even as President Donald Trump's administration seeks Chinese cooperation in dealing with North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.

 

The operation was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijing’s efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters. But it was not as provocative as previous ones carried out since Trump took office in January.

 

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Chafee, a guided-missile destroyer, carried out normal manoeuvring operations that challenged "excessive maritime claims" near the Paracel Islands, among a string of islets, reefs and shoals over which China has territorial disputes with its neighbours.

 

Next month, Trump makes his first visit to Asia as president, including a stop in China, which he has been pressuring to do more to rein in North Korea. China is North Korea's neighbour and biggest trading partner.

 

Unlike in August, when a U.S. Navy destroyer came within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built up by China in the South China Sea, officials said the destroyer on Tuesday sailed close to but not within that range of the islands.

 

Twelve nautical miles mark internationally recognised territorial limits. Sailing within that range is meant to show the United States does not recognise territorial claims.

 

The Pentagon did not comment directly on the operation, but said the United States carried out regular freedom-of-navigation operations and would continue to do so.

 

In the past, China has objected to such U.S. operations, saying they harmed Chinese sovereignty and security.

 

China’s claims in the South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion in shipborne trade passes each year are contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

 

Experts and some U.S. officials have criticized former President Barack Obama for potentially reinforcing China’s claims by sticking to innocent passage, in which a warship effectively recognised a territorial sea by crossing it speedily without stopping.

 

The U.S. military has a long-standing position that its operations are carried out throughout the world, including in areas claimed by allies, and that they are separate from political considerations.

 

The United States has said it would like to see more international participation in freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea.

 

NORTH KOREA ISSUE

 

Trump's trip to Asia will likely be dominated by the North Korean nuclear threat. He will also visit South Korea, Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines.

 

In recent weeks, North Korea launched two missiles over Japan and conducted its sixth nuclear test, all in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions, and may be fast advancing towards its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.

 

Trump’s visit to China will reciprocate a trip to the United States made in April by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The U.S. president's attempts to get Chinese help with North Korea have met with limited success so far, but he has gone out of his way to thank Xi for his efforts.

 

(Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-10-11

[BuaBS]

Provoking China , NK , ... it never stops.

[zydeco]

25 minutes ago, BuaBS said:

Provoking China , NK , ... it never stops.

China's illegal claims to artificial islands is the provocation. The US Navy is just doing what it has always done.

[Morch]

32 minutes ago, BuaBS said:

Provoking China , NK , ... it never stops.

 

The PRC building military bases in international waters is a provocation.

North Korea's ballistic and nuclear tests are provocations.

[IAMHERE]

Why doesn't the UK or someone build another artificial island in the South China Sea?

[wwest5829]

48 minutes ago, BuaBS said:

Provoking China , NK , ... it never stops.

Sailing in international waters, "a provocation", I beg to differ. My outlook is that unilateral claims by the Peoples Republic of China are the provocation to international law. I believe the International Court in the Hague found this to be true under international law.

[Publicus]

 

The Reuters article omits some important factors.

 

One is that the Paracel islands where USS Chafee did its FON OP Tuesday are in Vietnam territorial waters as established by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. CCP Boyz signed UNLOS in 1997 and have since declared the Convention null and void in the SCS.  Beijing and Pyongyang have similar notions about negotiating agreements and signing treaties, i.e., each say yes then do as they please.

 

Pentagon chose the Paracels in VN waters for this FON now because CCP Dictator-Tyrants in Beijing had told Hanoi in August to get its drilling rig out of the Parcels or CCP would do a military attack "immediately" to destroy the rig.  Hanoi withdrew the rig. During summer SecDef James Mattis announced a FON schedule for SCS to normalize the OPs so this one by the USS Chafee is how it happened.

 

Further, after the new year the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and its  USN Strike Group 1 will dock in Cam Ranh Bay where VN has constructed new piers and facilities to accommodate aircraft carriers (that are not Chinese or Russian). France and the US are already operating aircraft carriers in the SCS with UK coming very soon with one of its two new carrier strike groups. 

 

It would be good too if the whimp Australia government joined in with the allies to resist the CCP Dictator-Tyrants in Beijing. So far all we get from PM Malcom Turnbull is a yellow streak.

 

Another Reuters omission is that the Chafee did not sail inside the 12-mile limit of any Paracel islands because they are natural islands. As natural islands they do have the 12 mile jurisdiction under the UN ILOS. USN ships sail inside 12 miles of CCP artificial islands because ILOS says artificial islands have no territory or zone of jurisdiction. Zilch. This is a major point as CCP Dictator-Tyrants are claiming sovereign jurisdiction of 200 miles from each  of the seven artificial islands they have constructed, in addition to the natural islands they have invaded to take possession of, such as the Paracels since back in the 1970s and 1980s.

 

CCP Boys have trashed completely and willfully their own myth of a "Peaceful Rise." We are seeing instead a noisy stall of CCP belligerence and aggression in the face of organized and determined opposition throughout the region. The Boyz are swell-headed and wrong to think that in the 21st century they can simply swat away the opposition that is occurring against 'em by virtually every maritime neighbor they have. 

 

CCP are in fact the neighbor from hell. Same as always over the past thousands of years.

[Publicus]

13 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

Why doesn't the UK or someone build another artificial island in the South China Sea?

 

It murders the reefs they are built on. Neither do I want to be doing the same violations of UNLOS that the CCP Dictator-Tyrants are doing.

 

Besides, the artificial islands are ducks on a Chinese pond. The artificial  islands are specks that get taken out by USN between breakfast and morning coffee break. Between breakfast and lunch on a Sunday.

[tonbridgebrit]

What, we're back to this nonsense again ?

So, Washington has decided to, once again, do a macho display of it's military hardware by ordering combat ships to sail near the Chinese dots. This time round, the order is a half-hearted macho display. I mean, if you're going to do a macho display, okay, sail the combat ship inside the 12 mile zone. Why sail it just outside the 12 mile zone ? It makes the display look silly. And whether we're talking about a Chinese man-made island, or a real island, well, what difference does it make ?  A Chinese man-made island, or a real island that is 'illegally' claimed, it's the same thing. If you think Beijing is wrong doing this, well, sail the combat ship inside the 12 mile zone.



Washington is doing something that is almost laughable, but this is not funny. We might be seeing a massive military strike against North Korea soon, and Washington wants to bring back up the nonsense issue of the Chinese dots/specks. Has Washington done this, in order to take some media coverage away from North Korea ?

So, yes Washington, try and focus on North Korea. You want to show how hard you are ? Well, next time North Korea detonates a nuke, or wait for Kim to fire a couple more missiles above Japan's skies, then, go and launch a massive strike against North Korea. A strike that will knock out Kim and his nukes.

[Morch]

3 minutes ago, tonbridgebrit said:

What, we're back to this nonsense again ?

So, Washington has decided to, once again, do a macho display of it's military hardware by ordering combat ships to sail near the Chinese dots. This time round, the order is a half-hearted macho display. I mean, if you're going to do a macho display, okay, sail the combat ship inside the 12 mile zone. Why sail it just outside the 12 mile zone ? It makes the display look silly. And whether we're talking about a Chinese man-made island, or a real island, well, what difference does it make ?  A Chinese man-made island, or a real island that is 'illegally' claimed, it's the same thing. If you think Beijing is wrong doing this, well, sail the combat ship inside the 12 mile zone.



Washington is doing something that is almost laughable, but this is not funny. We might be seeing a massive military strike against North Korea soon, and Washington wants to bring back up the nonsense issue of the Chinese dots/specks. Has Washington done this, in order to take some media coverage away from North Korea ?

So, yes Washington, try and focus on North Korea. You want to show how hard you are ? Well, next time North Korea detonates a nuke, or wait for Kim to fire a couple more missiles above Japan's skies, then, go and launch a massive strike against North Korea. A strike that will knock out Kim and his nukes.

 

We're not "back to this" at all. The current administration's aim to review and revise some aspects of USA policy with regard to this issue were discussed more than once. Similarly, the usual whitewashing won't change the facts - these are PRC military bases, not "dots", nor "specks" and the PRC sovereignty in these parts is by no means internationally recognized.

 

USA's policy regarding freedom of navigation was discussed on many a past topics. That you feel the need to rehash the same old talking points, is tiresome, if expected.The USA's aim is not to create a head-on crisis with the PRC, but to signal it's position.

 

Not entirely sure where you're going with the confused, panicky taunting, but it's quite amusing.

[craigt3365]

3 hours ago, BuaBS said:

Provoking China , NK , ... it never stops.

It's international waters.  How is that provoking.  It's 100% legal and legit.

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, tonbridgebrit said:

What, we're back to this nonsense again ?

So, Washington has decided to, once again, do a macho display of it's military hardware by ordering combat ships to sail near the Chinese dots. This time round, the order is a half-hearted macho display. I mean, if you're going to do a macho display, okay, sail the combat ship inside the 12 mile zone. Why sail it just outside the 12 mile zone ? It makes the display look silly. And whether we're talking about a Chinese man-made island, or a real island, well, what difference does it make ?  A Chinese man-made island, or a real island that is 'illegally' claimed, it's the same thing. If you think Beijing is wrong doing this, well, sail the combat ship inside the 12 mile zone.



Washington is doing something that is almost laughable, but this is not funny. We might be seeing a massive military strike against North Korea soon, and Washington wants to bring back up the nonsense issue of the Chinese dots/specks. Has Washington done this, in order to take some media coverage away from North Korea ?

So, yes Washington, try and focus on North Korea. You want to show how hard you are ? Well, next time North Korea detonates a nuke, or wait for Kim to fire a couple more missiles above Japan's skies, then, go and launch a massive strike against North Korea. A strike that will knock out Kim and his nukes.

You seem to have forgotten the ruling by the international court.  China lost.  For good reasons. How about they vacate these islands?  That would solve things quite quickly. LOL

 

You seem to have lost the plot.  This isn't about the US.  It's an international problem. 

[hawker9000]

On ‎10‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 1:02 AM, BuaBS said:

Provoking China , NK , ... it never stops.

How is a transit in international waters "provoking China"?   Yeah, the Ameriphobes never stop.

 

"Provoking, China , NK , .... "  Uh-huh.  Right.  Sure.  ROFLMAO   No end to such lunacy.