A satellite photo dated Mar 13, 2018 shows Mischief Reef. (Photo: Planet Labs/Handout via Reuters)
Two US warships sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on Monday (Feb 11), a US official told Reuters, in a move that earned a rebuke from Beijing at a time of tense relations between the world's two biggest economies.
Beijing and Washington are locked in a trade war and the two sides are trying to hammer out a deal ahead of a Mar 1 deadline when US tariffs on US$200 billion worth of Chinese imports are scheduled to increase to 25 per cent from 10 per cent.
Escalating tensions between the United States and China have cost both countries billions of dollars and roiled global financial markets.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the two guided-missile destroyers travelled within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands.
China accused the United States of trying to "stir up trouble".
The US is "determined to stir up trouble in the South China Sea, create tension and undermine peace", Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily press briefing.
She urged the US to cease the "provocative actions".
The operation was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijing's efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters, where Chinese, Japanese and some Southeast Asian navies operate.
China claims almost all of the strategic South China Sea and frequently lambastes the US and its allies over naval operations near Chinese-occupied islands.
The countries have repeatedly traded barbs in the past over what Washington says is Beijing’s militarisation of the South China Sea by building military installations on artificial islands and reefs.
China defends its construction as necessary for self-defence and says it is the US that is responsible for ratcheting up tensions in the region by sending warships and military planes close to islands Beijing claims.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan have competing claims in the region.
Fears have grown in recent months that the US-China trade dispute is just one element in a bilateral relationship that is fast cooling across the board, with top US administration officials criticising Beijing for everything from human rights abuses to cyber espionage in the US.
The two countries are also at odds over regional security, including Washington’s overtures to the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/us-destroyers-sail-near-disputed-spratly-islands-in-south-china-11229346
Beijing and Washington are locked in a trade war and the two sides are trying to hammer out a deal ahead of a Mar 1 deadline when US tariffs on US$200 billion worth of Chinese imports are scheduled to increase to 25 per cent from 10 per cent.
Escalating tensions between the United States and China have cost both countries billions of dollars and roiled global financial markets.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the two guided-missile destroyers travelled within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands.
China accused the United States of trying to "stir up trouble".
The US is "determined to stir up trouble in the South China Sea, create tension and undermine peace", Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily press briefing.
She urged the US to cease the "provocative actions".
The operation was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijing's efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters, where Chinese, Japanese and some Southeast Asian navies operate.
China claims almost all of the strategic South China Sea and frequently lambastes the US and its allies over naval operations near Chinese-occupied islands.
The countries have repeatedly traded barbs in the past over what Washington says is Beijing’s militarisation of the South China Sea by building military installations on artificial islands and reefs.
China defends its construction as necessary for self-defence and says it is the US that is responsible for ratcheting up tensions in the region by sending warships and military planes close to islands Beijing claims.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan have competing claims in the region.
Fears have grown in recent months that the US-China trade dispute is just one element in a bilateral relationship that is fast cooling across the board, with top US administration officials criticising Beijing for everything from human rights abuses to cyber espionage in the US.
The two countries are also at odds over regional security, including Washington’s overtures to the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/us-destroyers-sail-near-disputed-spratly-islands-in-south-china-11229346
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