US naval ships to test claimed Chinese waters, Lloyd's List

US naval ships to test claimed Chinese waters

• Thursday 08 October 2015, 11:02
• by Wei Zhe Tan
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• SHIP OPERATIONS
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The naval move signals that the US does not recognise China’s territorial claims over the Spratly islands.

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Tensions likely to be raised in contested South China Sea

THE US is ready to send warships into the 12-nautical-mile zone that China has claimed to be under its jurisdiction near artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea, according to a Financial Times report.

The move, expected to begin over the next two weeks, is an indication that the US does not recognise China’s territorial claims over the Spratly islands — where China has been busily reclaiming land on a number of reefs — and reaffirms its position that the claims were not consistent with international maritime law, including the UN Law of the Sea.

According to the report, the White House finally acceded to persistent requests from US defence secretary Ashton Carter for more decisive action in the South China Sea after recent talks with Chinese president Xi Jinping in Washington ended without any resolution.  

This will likely heighten tensions between both powers amid a series of spats such as the US accusing China of carrying out cyber espionage.

China has ramped up its maritime activities in the South China Sea over the past few years, engaging in naval exercises and building airstrips and military outposts as a show of its military might in the Pacific, the FT report said.

Chinese naval ships have also been operating close to US territory in recent months, with five ships passing by Alaska’s coast while President Barack Obama was visiting that state.

According to the report, Mr Obama had expressed significant concern over the activities China had carried out near the Spratlys during his press conference with Mr Xi last month and emphasised that the US would keep sailing, flying and operating anywhere that international law permits.