In a clear indication of the growing tension in the South China Sea, China said on Friday that it had “tracked” a US Navy ship near the Paracel Islands in disputed waters in the South China Sea, and “issued a warning” to it.
The Chinese military said that the US action “seriously violates China’s sovereignty and security.”
“This is further conclusive evidence of the pursuit of maritime dominance and militarization of the South China Sea,” he added, explaining that the forces will remain on high alert to protect national security.
The US Navy said in a statement that the destroyer acted in accordance with its navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands “in accordance with international law.”
The statement said that the destroyer Halsey left the area after its operation and continued on its way in the South China Sea.
What is the reason for the dispute with the Philippines?
The confrontation comes amid escalating tensions in the South China Sea, with the Philippines, a US ally, embroiled in a diplomatic dispute with Beijing over disputed waters in the region.
Tensions in the region have escalated recently, with the Philippines taking a more assertive approach on the disputed areas, while working to strengthen its alliances with the United States and Japan.
Washington and Manila are committed to the Mutual Defense Treaty signed in 1951, which is still in effect, and stipulates that the two sides will help defend each other if either of them is attacked by a third party, according to CNN.
Last week, the Philippines protested Beijing’s use of water cannons against Philippine ships in shallow waters in the disputed Scarborough Shoal area in the South China Sea, describing the incident as harassment and “dangerous maneuvers”, after escalating tensions in the past few months.
The Scarborough Shoal, which China has occupied for more than a decade, has been a point of conflict between the Philippines and China on and off for years, according to Reuters.
The area is a major fishing spot used by several countries and is close to major shipping lanes and located within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, but China claims it even though no country imposes sovereignty over it.
Over the past two decades, China has occupied a number of obscure reefs and atolls far from its coastline across the South China Sea, where it has built military facilities, including runways and ports.
Rival claimants, such as the Philippines, say such actions violate their sovereignty and violate maritime law.
The United States agrees to this, as it regularly sends its naval destroyers to conduct freedom of navigation operations near the disputed islands, leading to fears that the South China Sea will become a flashpoint between the two superpowers, according to CNN.
Maritime disputes across the vast South China Sea have escalated in recent years as China militarizes disputed islands and confronts its regional rivals over their claims to the strategically important and resource-rich waterway, according to CNN.
China claims sovereignty over large parts of the South China Sea, a corridor through which trade worth more than three trillion dollars passes annually, and these parts include areas claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, according to Reuters.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration said that China’s claims had no legal basis, a decision that Beijing rejected, according to Reuters.
The South China Sea is widely viewed as a potential flashpoint for a global war, and recent confrontations between Manila and Beijing have raised concerns among Western observers that it could develop into an international incident if global power China decides to act more forcefully against the Philippines, an ally of the United States.
What is the importance of the South China Sea?
The 1.3 million square mile waterway is vital to international trade, with an estimated third of global shipping worth trillions of dollars passing through it each year, according to the Washington Post.
It is also home to vast fertile fishing grounds on which many lives and livelihoods depend.
However, much of its economic value remains untapped. According to the US Energy Information Agency, the waterway contains at least 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 11 billion barrels of oil.
Who controls those resources and how they are exploited can have a major impact on the environment. The South China Sea is home to hundreds of islands, largely uninhabited atolls and diverse wildlife that are at risk due to climate change and marine pollution, according to CNN.
What islands are disputed?
The Philippines says China continues to send its maritime militia to Mischief Reef and Scarborough Shoal in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
In the southern part of the sea is the Spratly Islands chain, which Beijing calls the Nansha Islands. The archipelago consists of 100 islands and coral reefs, 45 of which are occupied by China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
In the northwestern part of the sea, Beijing has controlled the Paracel Islands, known as the Xisha Islands in China, since 1974, despite claims by Vietnam and Taiwan.
China’s ruling Communist Party also claims self-governing Taiwan as its own territory, although it has never controlled it.
How does China mobilize its naval forces?
China has built the world’s largest naval fleet, with more than 340 warships. In recent years, it has launched large destroyers equipped with guided missiles, amphibious assault ships, and aircraft carriers with the ability to operate in the open ocean and have a projecting capability thousands of miles from Beijing, according to CNN.
Most of Beijing’s military buildup is concentrated along the Spratly and Paracel island chains, where ongoing land reclamation has destroyed coral reefs before building on them.
Chinese ships are known to be encircling numerous atolls and islets, sending bulldozers to build artificial islands large enough to house oil tankers and warships.
Since 2014, Beijing has built military bases on Subi Reef, Johnson Reef, Mischief Reef and Fiery Cross Reef, to bolster its claims on the chain, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
China installed exploratory oil platforms in the Paracel Islands in 2014, sparking anti-China riots in Vietnam, a rival country.
In addition, Western maritime security experts, along with the Philippines and the United States, claim that China controls a maritime militia hundreds of vessels strong and acts as an unofficial, officially deniable force that Beijing uses to push its territorial claims in the South China Sea and beyond.
The United States does not claim sovereignty over the South China Sea, but says the waters are essential to its national interest of ensuring freedom of the seas around the world.
The US Navy regularly conducts Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) in the South China Sea, saying the US “defends every nation’s right to fly, sail and operate where permitted by international law.” Beijing condemns such operations as illegal.
