The People's Liberation Army (PLA) organised air and naval forces to warn the USS Preble to leave, said a PLA spokesman, after it entered waters near China-claimed Scarborough Shoal on Monday morning. "The relevant actions from the US side endanger the safety of both Chinese and American ships and personnel, and undermine China's sovereignty and safety," said Li Huamin, spokesman of the PLA's Southern Theatre Command. "We express our resolute opposition," he added. The move comes as both countries adopt toughening stances on a host of economic and diplomatic issues, namely trade and hi-tech rivalry. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump hiked tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods, with China announcing it would raise tariffs on $60 billion in US merchandise from June 1 in retaliation. Trump has also barred US companies from engaging in telecommunications trade with foreign companies said to threaten American national security. Beijing has built artificial islands and … [Read more...] about Beijing denounces US warship sail-by in South China Sea
Us warship in south china sea
Beijing slams US warship sail-by in South China Sea
The Chinese navy asked the U.S. vessels to leave after they entered waters adjacent to Gaven and Chigua reefs in the Spratly Islands, which Beijing calls Nansha, the foreign ministry said. The move comes on top of trade tensions as President Donald Trump said Sunday he would raise tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods on Friday because talks were moving "too slowly." "The relevant actions of the U.S. warships violated China's sovereignty and undermined peace, security and good order in the relevant sea areas," ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a press briefing. "The Chinese side expresses strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition" to the operation, Geng added, noting that the ships had entered "without permission." The U.S. Navy regularly conducts "freedom of navigation operations" to challenge Beijing's vast claims in the sea. The People's Liberation Army identified the two U.S. ships as the USS Preble and the USS Chung-Hoon, both guided-missile destroyers. Air and sea … [Read more...] about Beijing slams US warship sail-by in South China Sea
US warship sails near South China Sea area claimed by Beijing
An American warship has sailed through waters off the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, in the latest implicit challenge to Beijing's sweeping territorial claims in the region, the Pentagon said on Sunday (Sep 30). This US Navy photo shows the Guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG 73) as it operates in the South China Sea. (AFP/Petty Officer 2ndClass Diana QUINLAN) "Guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur conducted a freedom of navigation operation," an official told AFP. "Decatur sailed within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson reefs in the Spratly Islands." Map showing claims and major outposts on the disputed Spratly Islands. (AFP/Gal ROMA) The official said all US military operations in the area "are designed in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows." The 12-mile distance is commonly accepted as constituting the territorial waters of a landmass. … [Read more...] about US warship sails near South China Sea area claimed by Beijing
US warship sails near disputed South China Sea islands: US official
Beijing and Washington are locked in a trade war that has seen them impose increasingly severe rounds of tariffs on each other’s imports. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the destroyer Decatur traveled within 12 nautical miles of Gaven and Johnson Reefs in the Spratly Islands. 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’s claims in the South China Sea, known as the East Sea in Vietnam, through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes each year, are contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. “We conduct routine and regular freedom-of-navigation operations, as we have done in the past and will continue to do in the future,” the U.S. official added. China’s foreign ministry did not respond immediately to a request for comment. … [Read more...] about US warship sails near disputed South China Sea islands: US official
Japanese carrier drills with British warship heading to contested South China Sea
Britain, Japan and their close ally the U.S. have found common cause in countering growing Chinese influence in the region that they worry could put key commercial sea lanes linking Asia with Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere under Beijing’s sway. “We have traditional ties with the British navy and we are both close U.S. allies and these drills are an opportunity for us to strengthen cooperation,” Kenji Sakaguchi, the Maritime Self Defence Force (MSDF) commander of the Kaga group’s four helicopters said on the hangar deck. The more frequent presence of the Royal Navy in a region is a chance for the two navies to train more closely in the future, he added. The Argyll, Kaga and its destroyer escort the Inazuma practiced formations on calm seas in the Indian Ocean close to commercial sea lanes plied by container vessels and oil tankers. Three helicopters from the Japanese carrier hovered above, monitoring the drill. The Argyll’s arrival in the region comes after … [Read more...] about Japanese carrier drills with British warship heading to contested South China Sea