BEIJING , China (Reuters) — China’s foreign ministry expressed anger on Tuesday (May 10) after a U.S. navy warship carried out a freedom of navigation operation near a disputed reef in the South China Sea.
Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a daily news briefing in Beijing that the ship illegally entered the waters without China’s permission and that the move threatened peace and stability.
“I have to point out, this action by the U.S. side threatened China’s sovereignty and security interests, endangered the staff and facilities on the reef, and damaged regional peace and stability,” he said.
Guided missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence travelled within 12 nautical miles of Chinese-occupied Fiery Cross Reef, U.S. Defense Department spokesman Bill Urban said on Tuesday. The so-called freedom of navigation operation was undertaken to “challenge excessive maritime claims” by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam which were seeking to restrict navigation rights in the South China Sea, he added.
Beijing and Washington have traded accusations that the other is militarizing the South China Sea, as China undertakes large-scale land reclamations and construction on disputed islands while the United States has increased its patrols and exercises in the region.
Facilities on Fiery Cross Reef include a 3,000-meter (10,000-foot) runway and Washington is concerned China will use it to press its extensive territorial claims at the expense of weaker rivals.
Lu also commented on water disputes with the Philippines, saying that China hoped the new government could meet halfway to solve them.
“Relations between the two countries have been confronted with serious difficulties in recent years,” he said. “We hope the future of relations between China and the Philippines will be better.”
China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims.
