It has been reported that the USA sent the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Milius to the region today, despite China’s warning.
“Illegal claims of sovereignty in the South China Sea pose a threat to freedom of navigation and flight, free and unhindered commercial activities, and economic opportunity of riparian countries,” the US 7th Fleet in the Pacific said in a statement.
In the statement, it was emphasized that the United States will oppose excessive sovereignty demands in the seas, no matter which country they come from.
China accuses US of “harming peace and stability in the South China Sea”
China’s Ministry of Defense, on the other hand, claimed that the “ship was removed from the region” and accused the United States of “harming peace and stability in the South China Sea”.
The statement claimed that the United States “militarized the South China Sea” and “pursued navigational hegemony”.
The Beijing administration warned the United States to “stop its provocative actions, otherwise it will take wings to the consequences of unexpected developments”.
The Southern Front Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army said yesterday that the guided missile destroyer USS Milius, belonging to the US navy, “entered the territorial waters without permission” near the Spartly Islands, which the Chinese call “Shisha”, and was tracked and warned by the Chinese air and naval forces and “ejected” from the region. had been suggested.
The US Navy denied the claim that the warship was removed from the region and stated that it continued its routine operation in the South China Sea.
South China Sea dispute
The South China Sea has been the subject of sovereignty disputes since riparian countries gained their independence after the Second World War.
China claims sovereignty over 80 percent of the South China Sea, with the map it first published in 1947. Coastal neighboring countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, and Malaysia also claim the region.
The USA, as well as the countries in the region, are opposed to China’s building military bases on the disputed islands in the region and keeping civilian fleets for a long time.
It is observed that the USA has recently increased its military patrol and navigation activities, which it calls “Freedom of Navigation Operations” (FONP), against the increasing presence of China.