Beijing Warns U.S. Over Navy Patrol in South China Sea
TAIWAN CHINA Hanoi Hong Kong Gulf of Tonkin HAINAN PROVINCE PHILIPPINES PARACEL ISLANDS LAOS Manila South China Sea CAMBODIA SPRATLY ISLANDS VIETNAM Palawan Island Mischief Reef
300 Miles CHINA TAIWAN Hanoi HAINAN PROVINCE PHILIPPINES PARACEL ISLANDS Manila South China Sea SPRATLY ISLANDS VIETNAM Palawan Island Mischief Reef 300 Miles AUG. 11, 2017
But in separate statements, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense accused the United States of stirring regional conflict and suggested
that such operations bolstered China’s case for building military facilities across the sea to defend its claimed territory.
These freedom of navigation operations near contested islands and reefs across the South China Sea are meant to show
that the United States does not accept that China or any other claimant can legally challenge an American naval presence in the area.
The passage by the John S. McCain sent the implicit signal
that the United States does not accept any territorial sea claims around Mischief Reef, regardless of who claims sovereignty.
The reef is about 150 miles from Palawan, the nearest major Philippine island,
and more than 650 miles southeast of Hainan, a Chinese island-province that reaches into the South China Sea.
11, 2017
BEIJING — As the Trump administration pressed China to curb North Korea, Beijing issued its own warning over another festering dispute on Friday, saying
that American naval operations in the South China Sea would only force it to deepen its military buildup there.