Challenging Chinese claims, US sends warship near Spratlys

From The Daily Tribune (Jan 31): Challenging Chinese claims, US sends warship near Spratlys

Ignoring Beijing’s warning, the United States yesterday sent a warship very close to one of China’s claimed islands in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea), a potential challenge to Beijing’s territorial claims in the contested waters.

A Pentagon official said the US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54), sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island in the Paracel Islands, an operation the Pentagon said was designed to challenge efforts to restrict freedom of navigation.

No ships from China’s military were in the vicinity of the warship when it carried out the operation near near the disputed islands, Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said.

“This operation challenged attempts by the three claimants — China, Taiwan and Vietnam — to restrict navigation rights and freedoms,” he stressed.

Earlier, Beijing criticized Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command when he spoke about Chinese territory in the East China Sea last Wednesday at a Washington think tank event.

Harris said the US will continue to challenge China’s position on the South China Sea, adding his personal view is that “those islands do not belong to China.”

But Yang Yujun, the ministry’s spokesman, said: “Such remarks astonish me as they completely lack historical common sense.”

Peace and stability in the South China Sea should be safeguarded by China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (Asean), and, “We do not need countries outside the region finger-pointing on this issue, let alone making any ignorant remarks,” Yang said.

The warship docked in Manila last Wednesday for a routine maintenance and crew rest, according to a US Embassy statement.

The ship, which was commissioned in March 1994 and is homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, is an integral part of Battle Force Seventh Fleet which is the US Navy’s only permanently forward deployed naval force.

With a crew of more than 300 personnel, USS Curtis Wilbur has conducted operations in support of Operation Southern Watch (April 1999) and Operation Enduring Freedom (October 2001) and has participated in numerous other exercises.

US Navy ships and submarines have been conducting regular port calls and visits to the country, particularly in Subic Bay and Manila Bay, amid increased tension in the West Philippine Sea.
China began massive dredging operations to turn three reefs into artificial islands in 2014.

In little more than 18 months, Beijing has reclaimed more than 2,000 acres at three main locations in the Spratly Islands — Subi, Mischief and Fiery Cross reefs.

The South China Sea is the subject of numerous rival and often messy territorial claims, with China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam disputing sovereignty of several island chains and nearby waters.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/challenging-chinese-claims-us-sends-warship-near-spratlys