Chinese military ‘throws’ US warship ‘into’ South China Sea | South China Sea News

The U.S. move comes on the anniversary of a court ruling that says Beijing has no claims over the South China Sea.

The Chinese military said it had “expelled” the U.S. warship, which was illegally entering Chinese waters around the disputed Paracel Islands on Monday, when Beijing said it had no claim to the South China Sea on the anniversary of major international tribunals.

Benfold entered the waters of the USS Paracels without the approval of the Chinese government, seriously violating China’s sovereignty and undermining the stability of the South China Sea, the People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command said.

“We urge the United States to stop such provocative actions immediately,” the Southern Theater Command said in a statement.

The U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said in a statement that Benfold had “claimed the rights and freedoms of navigation around the Paracel Islands in accordance with international law” and that the Chinese’s claims of a serious violation of their sovereignty were “false” and misrepresented.

He stressed that all ships have the right to “innocent passage” under international law, as reflected in the Convention on the Law of the Sea and that no permit is required.

“The operation reflects our commitment to defend freedom of navigation and the legitimate use of the sea as a principle,” the document says. “The United States will continue to fly, navigate and operate where permitted by international law, as the USS Benfold did here. The PRC (People’s Republic of China) will not help us to say otherwise. “

Paracels, Xisha in China, there are hundreds of islands, reefs and atolls in the South China Sea with many resources competing in China, Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. -a line called nine lines, which covers most of the region.

China took control of Paracels, a chain of barren islands 250 miles from the island of Hainan (one kilometer east of Vietnam) and 220 miles (350 kilometers) southeast of Hainan Island. It is also claimed by Vietnam as Hoang Sa, as well as by Taiwan. All three countries require permission or prior notification before any military vessel can navigate through the area, the U.S. Navy said.

On July 12, 2016, the Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration dismissed China’s nine-line line and ruled that Beijing had no historical title over the South China Sea.

China said it violated traditional Philippine fishing rights in Scarborough Shoal and violated sovereign rights in the Philippines, seeking oil and gas around Reed Bank.

China has repeatedly said it does not accept the ruling and has continued to expand its presence in the South China Sea for the past five years.

In writing statement on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said freedom of the seas was in the “enduring” interest of all nations.

“Nowhere is there a greater threat to a rule-based maritime order than in the South China Sea,” Blinken said.

“The People’s Republic of China continues to coerce and intimidate states on the Southeast Asian coast, threatening freedom of navigation on this critical path around the world.”

He warned China again that an attack on the Philippine armed forces in the South China Sea in 1951 would result in a pact between the US and the Philippines to defend each other.

“We urge the PRC to fulfill its obligations under international law, to suspend its provocative conduct and to take measures to ensure that the international community is committed to a maritime order based on rules that respect the rights of all countries, small and large,” he added.