That’s an active imagination they have. The other day we had one of our Destroyers travel by the Paracel Islands and China got upset demanding we leave their territory. But here’s the thing, we were nowhere near Internationally accepted Chinese waters…
“Col. Tian Junli, a spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, said Chinese forces “tracked, monitored and expelled” USS Benfold after the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer operated near the Paracel Islands “without the approval of the Chinese government.”
“We solemnly demand that the U.S. side immediately stop such provocative actions, otherwise it will bear the serious consequences of unforeseen events,” it added.
The U.S. Navy rejected the idea that the Benfold was warned away but appeared to confirm the ship was operating in the area, saying the mission reflected the U.S. Navy’s commitment to defend freedom of navigation.
“The PRC’s statement about this mission is false,” 7th Fleet spokesman Mark Langford said in a statement. The 7th Fleet is part of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific force.
The Benfold was conducting what the navy called a freedom of navigation operation “in accordance with international law,” the statement said. The ship then “continued on to conduct normal operations in international waters.”
“US 7th Fleet added: “This freedom of navigation operation (“FONOP”) upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law by challenging restrictions on innocent passage imposed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Taiwan, and Vietnam and also by challenging the PRC’s claim to straight baselines enclosing the Paracel Islands.”
The entry of US warships in the South China Sea has increased in recent years.”
The Chinese are trying to expand their power and have started making nearby sandbars and shoals into mini islands. They are then claiming the newly formed islands and the areas around them. But no one else is on board with their plan. So when they supposedly “warded” off one of our Destroyers, it was more like we just keep cruising along through recognized international waters.
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