Beijing accused the United States of cooperating to destroy regional peace and stability after the US destroyer USS Benfold sailed near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on Wednesday (13).
The Chinese regime said it had turned the ship away after it illegally entered Chinese waters, and the People’s Liberation Army has accused Washington of violating Beijing’s sovereignty and security. “The facts once again show that the US is a risk creator in the South China Sea,” reads a statement.
The US Navy, in response, claimed that it only asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the region, following international law.
The archipelago of the Paracel Islands, which in China are called Xisha and in Vietnam, Hoang Sa, are a group of more than 30 islands located between the coasts of the two countries. The region is now under Beijing’s control, but is claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan, and was the scene of a naval battle between China and Vietnam in January 1974.
The date for the navigation of the American destroyer is symbolic: this Monday (11) marked the sixth anniversary of a decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, based in The Hague, in the Netherlands, according to which the Chinese have no legal basis to claim “historical rights”. ” over most of the islands in the South China Sea disputed with the Philippines. China never accepted the decision.
The USS Benfold also sailed in a nearby region last year, five years after the decision was rejected by Beijing.
In a statement, the US Seventh Fleet, a division of the Navy that operates in the Indian and Pacific oceans, denied the accusations made by the Chinese regime and said the operation only demonstrates the “commitment to maintaining freedom of navigation”. “The Chinese declaration is the latest in a series of actions to assert its excessive and illegitimate maritime claims at the expense of its Southeast Asian neighbors.”
The text alleges that China has required permission or prior notification before a military ship passes through the region. “Illegal and comprehensive maritime claims pose a serious threat to freedom of the seas, including freedoms of navigation and overflight, free trade and economic opportunity,” the note continues.
On Tuesday, in yet another speech aimed at bolstering the US presence in Asia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Beijing to end what he called “provocative behavior” in the South China Sea. The Chinese response came this Wednesday.
“We urge the US to respect China’s sovereignty, rights and interests in the South China Sea and stop using this matter to sow discord among countries in the region,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. “This is extremely irresponsible.”
