More US Patrols In The South China Sea Expected

A defense official of the United States revealed that Chinese ships followed the USS Lassen when it sailed within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese-built artificial island in the South China Sea. No incidents were reported when the guided-missile destroyer of the US Navy passed by the disputed reef.

The US official revealed the destroyer was on a 72-mile patrol sailing from the north towards the southwest in the disputed region. These operations are called an “innocent passage.” The official added that more patrols are expected in the future. These may become regular operations and should not be considered provocative.

Beijing chastised the United States for the US Navy patrol, which is a most considerable challenge of the US on the 12-nautical-mile territorial limit set by China for the islands it claimed in the Spratly archipelago. It is expected to increase tension in one of the busiest shipping in the world.

More US Patrols In The South China Sea Expected - image credit: en.wikipedia.org

The official revealed that the patrol sent the USS Lassen within 12 nautical miles of the China-made islands, the Subi Reef. It did not pass by the Mischief Reef, another artificial island in the South China Sea. Chinese navy ships followed the destroyer for the past few weeks. One of the Chinese ships followed the Lassen while it was on patrol.

While the official revealed that additional patrols may be carried out in the region, no schedule for the next patrol was announced. In 2012, another US Navy ship sailed within 12 miles of territory claimed by China.

Before China started its reclamation project, the Subi Reef and Mischief Reef remained submerged during high tide. These islands in the South China Sea into islands were built by China in 2014. The 12-nautical-mile limit cannot be implemented around man-made islands created from previously submerged reefs as indicated on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The official said these missions were made to ensure countries can operate in areas where it is legal to operate in. The official also said around six weeks ago Chinese ships also sailed within 12-nautical miles of the Aleutians Island, which is controlled by the United States. Ships normally pass within the 12 nautical miles of islands since the cost of transit through the sea may increase if innocent passage is not allowed.

Posted by James Fried on Wednesday October 28 2015, 1:49 PM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0