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U.S. sails warship near Chinese-claimed reef in East Vietnam Sea

U.S. sails warship near Chinese-claimed reef in East Vietnam Sea

Tuesday, May 10, 2016, 16:11 GMT+7

A U.S. navy warship sailed close to a disputed reef in the East Vietnam Sea on Tuesday, a U.S. Department of Defense official said, days after China warned criticism of its claims in the crucial waterway would rebound like a coiled spring.

The freedom of navigation operation by the USS William P. Lawrence, travelling within 12 nautical miles of Chinese-occupied Fiery Cross Reef, was to "challenge excessive maritime claims of some claimants" in the East Vietnam Sea, Defense Department spokesman Bill Urban said.

"These excessive maritime claims are inconsistent with international law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention in that they purport to restrict the navigation rights that the United States and all states are entitled to exercise," Urban said in an emailed statement.

Facilities on Da Chu Thap (Fiery Cross Reef) include a 3,000-metre (10,000-foot) runway and Washington is concerned China will use it to press its extensive territorial claims at the expense of weaker rivals.

U.S. naval officials also believe China has plans to start reclamation and construction activities on Scarborough Shoal, which sits further north of Vietnam's Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago within the Philippines-claimed 200 nautical mile (370 km) exclusive economic zone.

China claims most of the East Vietnam Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims.

The Pentagon last month called on China to reaffirm it has no plans to deploy military aircraft in Truong Sa after Beijing used a military plane to evacuate sick workers from Fiery Cross.

"Fiery Cross is sensitive because it is presumed to be the future hub of Chinese military operations in the [East Vietnam Sea], given its already extensive infrastructure, including its large and deep port and 3000-metre runway," said Ian Storey, an East Vietnam Sea expert at Singapore's ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute.

"The timing is interesting, too. It is a show of U.S. determination ahead of President Obama's trip to Vietnam later this month," Storey added.

Speaking in Hanoi ahead of Obama's visit, Daniel Russel, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, said freedom of navigation operations were important for smaller nations.

"If the world's most powerful navy cannot sail where international law permits, then what happens to the ships of navy of smaller countries?," Russel told reporters in Hanoi before news of the operation was made public.

"If our warships can't exercise their legitimate rights under international law at sea, then what about the fishermen, what about the cargo ships? How will they prevent themselves from being blocked by stronger nations?"

The move also comes as tough-talking city mayor Rodrigo Duterte looks set to take the Philippines' presidency. He has proposed multilateral talks on the East Vietnam Sea.

China has reacted with anger to previous U.S. freedom of navigation operations, and says that there has never been a problem with freedom of navigation or overflight in the East Vietnam Sea.

The U.S. flew fighter planes near the disputed Scarborough Shoal last month, drawing protests from China. Last November, two U.S. B-52 long-range bombers flew near Chinese facilities under construction on Tri Ton (Cuarteron) Reef in Vietnam's Truong Sa.

Criticism of China over the East Vietnam Sea will rebound like a coiled spring, a Chinese diplomat said on Friday, as a U.S. warship visited Shanghai against a backdrop of rising tension in the region.

Reuters

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