Jakarta –
United States military dispute claims China which said it was warned that the USS Milius warship should leave the South China Sea. The US says it will continue to sail wherever international law permits.
Reported by AFP, Sunday (23/3/2023), the US military quickly disputed China’s claims. The US military says ‘the PRC’s statements are false’, using the acronym People’s Republic of China.
“The ship was conducting routine operations in the South China Sea and was not driven away,” a spokeswoman for the US Indo-Pacific Command said.
“The United States will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law permits,” the spokesperson said.
Reported by Reuters, US military refute statement China saying the destroyer was conducting “routine operations” in the South China Sea and had not been driven away.
Tensions between the United States and China have increased in the region.
The United States has buttressed alliances in the Asia-Pacific seeking to counter China in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, as Beijing seeks to advance its territorial claims.
It is known, while asserting claims in the South China Sea, that Chinese authorities have in recent years built artificial islands, including some with military facilities and runways.
Regional countries have also accused Chinese vessels of harassing their fishing vessels.
Earlier, the Chinese military said it had tracked a US warship in the South China Sea on Thursday. China’s military has warned US warships to leave waters claimed by Beijing.
It is known that China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea — a strategic waterway through which trillions of dollars of trade pass each year — although an international court ruled that statement had no legal basis.
The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have overlapping claims in the sea, while the United States is sending naval vessels to assert freedom of navigation in international waters.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command said the USS Milius, a guided missile destroyer, entered the waters around the Paracel Islands, which are also claimed by Vietnam.
“The PLA organized the navy and air force to track and monitor (the ship) in accordance with the law” and “warned it to leave”, said spokesman Tian Junli.
“The ship ‘carried out illegal incursions into China’s territorial waters… without the permission of the Chinese government, undermining peace and stability’ in the region,” he continued.
(yld/knv)
