The sailing of a US Navy coastal combat ship near the Spratly Islands, where there are sovereignty disputes between China and the Philippines, caused tension.
While China claimed that the ship named “USS Gabrielle Giffords” “illegally entered” the area known as the “Second Thomas Shoal”, the USA claimed that the ship’s navigation was “routine activity in international waters”.
The Southern Front Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, in its statement, claimed that the US warship “seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security” by entering the region “without permission”.
The statement claimed that “the US’s action is contrary to international law and the basic norms governing international relations” and noted the following:
“This has clearly demonstrated that the United States is the greatest threat to peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
In the statement made by the US 7th Fleet in the Pacific, it was stated that the ship’s navigation was “an activity in accordance with international law within the framework of navigation rights and freedom”.
“These operations demonstrate its commitment to the idea of a free and open Indo-Pacific in which all countries, large or small, are secure in their sovereignty, able to resolve their disputes without coercion, and have freedom of navigation and overflight consistent with international laws, rules and norms,” the statement said. statements were included.
South China Sea dispute
The South China Sea has been the subject of sovereignty disputes since the littoral countries gained their independence after World War II.
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 rights in the region.
Sovereignty disputes over the islets, reefs, rocks and sea dams in the region, especially the Paracel and Spratly Islands, occasionally lead to tensions between countries.
The United States, as well as regional countries, oppose China’s construction of military bases on the disputed islands and its long-term maintenance of civilian ship fleets.
In its decision on the application of the Philippines in 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague ruled that China’s unilateral sovereignty claims in the South China Sea were not legal.
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of News2Sea.
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