China strongly condemns US for sending warship near island

China has condemned the United States for sailing another warship near a disputed island in the South China Sea, the latest spat in a growing worldwide row over who controls one of Asia’s key shipping routes.

U.S. military leaders admit the U.S. Navy Destroyer, Curtis Wilbur sailed into waters that China claims – With the U.S. saying it was a challenge to claims by mainland China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

Wright said the claimants’ attempts to restrict navigational rights by requiring prior notice are inconsistent with worldwide law.

China, Taiwan and Vietnam have overlapping claims in the Paracels and require prior notice from ships transiting their territorial waters, reports abc News.

The US admitted it had not notified any of the claimants prior to the mission but this was “consistent with our normal process and worldwide law”.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the United States action of being “intentionally provocative” and “irresponsible and extremely dangerous”.

China underlined that it will take whatever measures necessary to safeguard China’s sovereignty.

The US Navy conducted a similar exercise in October previous year, in which the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen sailed close to one of China’s artificial islands, drawing a rebuke from Beijing.

The U.S. “sent its warship into China’s territorial sea without authorization”.

China claims virtually all of the South China Sea, while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan also have partial claims. According to China’s Defense Ministry, Chinese troops on the islands and Navy vessels and warplanes took action immediately.

However, Xinhua pointed out that under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), “innocent passage has its conditions – it should not be prejudicial to the peace, good order or security of the coastal State”. A social media search on Sunday showed a smattering of posts calling on China to adopt a tougher military posture against USA encroachment – if not wage war with the United States.

Fairfax Media reported that Australia was given advance warning of the U.S. naval operation on Saturday, amid mounting pressure on the Australian government from Washington, the Murdoch media in Australia and the opposition Labor Party to carry out its own challenge to Chinese territorial claims.

“China has always said that with freedoms of navigation and overflight, it only disputes the right of the USA to conduct military activities, particularly certain types of intelligence collection and military data gathering (so-called “military surveys”) in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ)”, he adds.

“It is advisable for Washington to contribute more to regional peace and cooperation, rather than making waves in the South China Sea and then pointing a finger at others on trumped-up charges”, it said.

However, Urban said that USA does take a strong position on protecting the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all countries and that all maritime claims must comply with global law.