Posted on 05/25/2017 6:40:45 AM PDT by blam
In the first unofficial challenge to Beijing over China’s domination of disputed waters in the South China Sea since President Trump took office, a US navy warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built up by China in the South China Sea according to the WSJ. The navy vessel, the USS Dewey, traveled close to the Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands, among a string of islets, reefs and shoals over which China has territorial disputes with its neighbors.
The “freedom of navigation” operation which in the past has infuriated Beijing, comes as Trump is seeking Beijing’s cooperation to rein in ally North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. Territorial waters are generally defined by U.N. convention as extending at most 12 nautical miles from a state’s coastline. China’s claims to the South China Sea, which sees about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade pass every year, are challenged by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, as well as Taiwan.
The U.S. patrol, the first of its kind since October, marks the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijing’s efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters. One official said it was the first operation near a land feature which was included in a ruling last year against China by an international arbitration court in The Hague. The court invalidated China’s claim to sovereignty over large swathes of the South China Sea.
As is well-known, the United States has criticized China’s construction of the man-made islands and build-up of military facilities in the sea, and expressed concern they could be used to restrict free movement, while China largely ignores all foreign complaints on the matter, and in the most recent case of the Philippines...
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at newzsentinel.com ...
Should drop anchor and Have the crew go swimming.
sticky situation...
Now Donald Trump went and got the Navy into Mischief!
Simple solution. Stop calling them islands. They are no more an island than a drilling rig is. Its just a manmade structure, nothing more.
Announce to the world that we do not see manmade structures as islands carrying national sovereignty. Then conduct freedom of navigation exercises. Period.
Reining in a rogue, nuclear Korea is a common interest. A territorial grab in the south China Sea isn’t.
Should drop anchor off the end of that runway and run up a “weather balloon”. F` em.
Great idea! A "weather" balloon with a big smiley face on it. Let them churn over that.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.