U.S. warships sail in disputed South China Sea amid tensions

[webfact]

U.S. warships sail in disputed South China Sea amid tensions

By Idrees Ali

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. and Chinese flags are seen before Defense Secretary James Mattis welcomes Chinese Minister of National Defense Gen. Wei Fenghe to the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., November 9, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Navy warships, on two occasions in the past few days, have sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea, the U.S. military told Reuters on Thursday, at a time of tension between the world's two largest economies.

 

The busy waterway is one of a number of flashpoints in the U.S.-China relationship, which include a trade war, U.S. sanctions, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Earlier this week during high-level talks, China called on the U.S. military to stop flexing its muscles in the South China Sea and adding "new uncertainties" over democratic Taiwan, which is claimed by China as a wayward province.

 

The U.S. Navy regularly vexes China by conducting what it calls "freedom of navigation" operations by ships close to some of the islands China occupies, asserting freedom of access to international waterways.

 

On Wednesday, the littoral combat ship Gabrielle Giffords traveled within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef, Commander Reann Mommsen, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet, told Reuters.

 

On Thursday, the destroyer Wayne E. Meyer challenged restrictions on innocent passage in the Paracel islands, Mommsen said.

 

"These missions are based in the rule of law and demonstrate our commitment to upholding the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations," she added.

 

China claims almost all the energy-rich waters of the South China Sea, where it has established military outposts on artificial islands. However, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims to parts of the sea.

 

The United States accuses China of militarising the South China Sea and trying to intimidate Asian neighbors who might want to exploit its extensive oil and gas reserves.

 

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper met Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe earlier this week for closed-door talks on the sidelines of a gathering of defense ministers in Bangkok.

 

Wei urged Esper to "stop flexing muscles in the South China Sea and to not provoke and escalate tensions in the South China Sea," a Chinese spokesman said.

 

Esper has accused Beijing of "increasingly resorting to coercion and intimidation to advance its strategic objectives" in the region.

 

(Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Sandra Maler and Rosalba O'Brien)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-11-22

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[Tug]

Good 

[Traubert]

9 minutes ago, Tug said:

Good 

Yeah, all of SE Asia rolls it's eyes thinks 'oh just sod off will you....'

[thaibeachlovers]

Excellent. Show the Chinese not every country will allow China to illegally claim international waters as off limits. Unfortunately China so dominates many countries they will not stand up against China.

[Nyezhov]

21 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Excellent. Show the Chinese not every country will allow China to illegally claim international waters as off limits. Unfortunately China so dominates many countries they will not stand up against China.

The bottom line. China needs to play nice in the international system. 

 

 

[Thainesss]

49 minutes ago, webfact said:

U.S. warships sail in disputed South China Sea amid tensions

 

Good. 

 

China needs to wind its sh*t back in.

Commie dictators need to know they do not get to do as they please and harass every other SEA nation as they wish. 

 

They need to know that outside of their borders, they can't just kill people and put them in re-education camps as they choose. 

[rabas]

32 minutes ago, Traubert said:

Yeah, all of SE Asia rolls it's eyes thinks 'oh just sod off will you....'

Actually, only China or its communist party. Everyone else wants free navigation of international waters.

[Traubert]

4 minutes ago, rabas said:

Actually, only China or its communist party. Everyone else wants free navigation of international waters.

China is preventing that how exactly?

[Traubert]

8 minutes ago, Thainesss said:

 

Good. 

 

China needs to wind its sh*t back in.

Commie dictators need to know they do not get to do as they please and harass every other SEA nation as they wish. 

 

They need to know that outside of their borders, they can't just kill people and put them in re-education camps as they choose. 

Harass them how exactly?

[Thainesss]

27 minutes ago, Traubert said:

China is preventing that how exactly?

 

This guy either fumes at the USA through personal bias or has zero clue what China does to other SEA nations - or both. 

Im gonna guess both. 

[Nyezhov]

55 minutes ago, Traubert said:

China is preventing that how exactly?

Really dude? The entire world knows exactly what China is doing, except for Chines sycophants.

[rabas]

1 hour ago, Traubert said:

1 hour ago, rabas said:

Actually, only China or its communist party. Everyone else wants free navigation of international waters.

China is preventing that how exactly?

How does China prevent free navigation of international waters?

 

By claiming territorial ownership of those same waters, against every internationally agreed upon norm.

 

[zydeco]

Perhaps the US, Vietnam and any other interested party should start constructing their own artificial islands, preferably right next to the Chinese ones. 

[Eric Loh]

I wouldn’t say that the Navy sailing near the disputed islands in international waters is wrong but it is provocative. Can’t deny that. 

[zydeco]

21 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

I wouldn’t say that the Navy sailing near the disputed islands in international waters is wrong but it is provocative. Can’t deny that. 

They're not disputed. They're illegal.

[Eric Loh]

22 minutes ago, zydeco said:

They're not disputed. They're illegal.

No international legal ruling on the ownership of the islands or the maritime boundaries. That’s why it is still disputed. 

[rabas]

48 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

I wouldn’t say that the Navy sailing near the disputed islands in international waters is wrong but it is provocative. Can’t deny that. 

Not quite as provocative as building illegal islands in the middle of busy international waterways, claiming them as your territory and covering them with military bases advanced radars and offensive weapon systems.

 

[AhFarangJa]

It is o.k.........Thailand will sail it's aircraft carrier out and keep the two apart.........

[Eric Loh]

14 minutes ago, rabas said:

Not quite as provocative as building illegal islands in the middle of busy international waterways, claiming them as your territory and covering them with military bases advanced radars and offensive weapon systems.

 

It’s building in disputed islands not illegal islands. That aside, I agree with you that it’s a provocative act by China. 

[Tropicalevo]

4 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

The bottom line. China needs to play nice in the international system. 

 

 

No it doesn't. China does not care about the International system, UN, human rights etc.

It will only be happy when there is only the China system. That is a long way off but getting closer day by day.

[Bassosa]

For the folks who aren't aware how ludicrous China's territorial claims are:

 

 

[Banana7]

32 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

No international legal ruling on the ownership of the islands or the maritime boundaries. That’s why it is still disputed. 

That is total BS. Look at Permanent Court of Arbitration Philippines v. China case number 2013–19, also known as the South China Sea Arbitration.

 

There was a decision on 12 July 2016 against China and in favor of The Philippines.

 

 

[Eric Loh]

43 minutes ago, Banana7 said:

That is total BS. Look at Permanent Court of Arbitration Philippines v. China case number 2013–19, also known as the South China Sea Arbitration.

 

There was a decision on 12 July 2016 against China and in favor of The Philippines.

 

 

Have you actually read the whole ruling? Just pay more attention to the part that mentioned that ownership and maritime boundary were not adjudicated. 

[legend49]

2 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

I wouldn’t say that the Navy sailing near the disputed islands in international waters is wrong but it is provocative. Can’t deny that. 

Good time for China to test its new killer missile they showed on the recent 70th celebration parade.

[Banana7]

17 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Have you actually read the whole ruling? Just pay more attention to the part that mentioned that ownership and maritime boundary were not adjudicated. 

I have read the entire judgement. You are right, the maritime boundary was not determined for each country. However, it was determined that China's claims were "without lawful effect" basically illegal. For everyone's convenience here is the relevant portion of the judgement:

 

Regarding the "Nine-Dash Line" and China's claim in the maritime areas of the South China Sea^[43]

• The [UNCLOS] Convention defines the scope of maritime entitlements in the South China Sea, which may not extend beyond the limits imposed therein.^[44]
• China's claims to historic rights, or other sovereign rights or jurisdiction, with respect to the maritime areas of the South China Sea encompassed by the relevant part of the 'nine-dash line' are contrary to the Convention and without lawful effect to the extent that they exceed the geographic and substantive limits of China's maritime entitlements under the Convention. The Convention superseded any historic rights or other sovereign rights or jurisdiction in excess of the limits imposed therein

 

You can see the "Nine-Dash Line" back in post #21 in this thread.

 

 

[Nyezhov]

4 minutes ago, legend49 said:

Good time for China to test its new killer missile they showed on the recent 70th celebration parade.

Yeah thats what they need, popping a shot at the US and starting a war they cant win. Glad to see you are advocating for the death of millions of chinese

[spidermike007]

The Chicoms are rewriting the rules as they go. Nobody on the planet outside China lends any credibility to their inane pleas. Challenging them is a beautiful thing. Pushback against them is required. 

[Eric Loh]

34 minutes ago, Banana7 said:

I have read the entire judgement. You are right, the maritime boundary was not determined for each country. However, it was determined that China's claims were "without lawful effect" basically illegal. For everyone's convenience here is the relevant portion of the judgement:

 

Regarding the "Nine-Dash Line" and China's claim in the maritime areas of the South China Sea^[43]

• The [UNCLOS] Convention defines the scope of maritime entitlements in the South China Sea, which may not extend beyond the limits imposed therein.^[44]
• China's claims to historic rights, or other sovereign rights or jurisdiction, with respect to the maritime areas of the South China Sea encompassed by the relevant part of the 'nine-dash line' are contrary to the Convention and without lawful effect to the extent that they exceed the geographic and substantive limits of China's maritime entitlements under the Convention. The Convention superseded any historic rights or other sovereign rights or jurisdiction in excess of the limits imposed therein

 

You can see the "Nine-Dash Line" back in post #21 in this thread.

 

 

Agree. As long as the ownership and maritime borders are not adjudicated, the disputed islands will be a source of unnerving tension for Asia. These islands are disputed by Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam & Indonesia. US intrusion just add to the tension and so is China building military bases. 

[NanLaew]

6 hours ago, Traubert said:

Yeah, all of SE Asia rolls it's eyes thinks 'oh just sod off will you....'

Traubert... let's see. That's not a very common Chinese name is it?

[natway09]

Hang on China !!!!!! Flexed their muscles ?

You are claiming the place as yours ,,,,,,,,,,,& it is not yours