China’s military said it drove a US warship out of areas it claims in the South China Sea over the weekend, accusing the US of being the region’s “biggest destroyer” of peace and stability.
The incident highlighted the region’s tensions and was the first such clash since Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden met earlier this month on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in San Francisco and reported progress on some of the issues that have strained ties between the global rivals.
China’s state-owned enterprises According to People’s Daily, Senior Colonel Tian Junli, spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command, the guided-missile destroyer USS Hopper illegally entered Chinese territorial waters on Saturday. According to the report, the incident occurred near the Paracel Islands, also known as the Xisha Islands in China.
“The theatre command has organised air and naval forces to follow and monitor it, and drove it away according to law,” he is said to have said.
China’s claims to practically the entire South China Sea have long been a source of dispute, pitting it against not only the US but also other regional claimants such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. Beijing has continuously rejected The Permanent Court of Arbitration’s 2016 verdict, which indicated that China’s claims in the South China Sea lack legal foundation.
According to the US Navy, the Hopper “asserted navigational rights in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands, consistent with international law,” as reported by Reuters.
Lieutenant Kristina Weidemann, deputy spokesman for the United States 7th Fleet, told Reuters by email that “the United States challenges excessive maritime claims around the world regardless of the identity of the claimant.
How does the United States perceive China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea?
A: The United States opposes China’s broad claims, emphasising the threat they pose to freedom of navigation, a value that the United States fiercely supports.
What is the South China Sea dispute’s historical context?
A: The territorial dispute has deep historical roots, with competing claims and geopolitical dynamics involving numerous nations in the region, further complicating the ongoing tensions.
How does the US Navy defend the presence of the USS Hopper in the South China Sea?
A: According to the US Navy, the USS Hopper was exercising navigational rights in line with international law. Lieutenant Kristina Weidemann, spokesperson for the United States 7th Fleet, emphasised the global struggle against illegal maritime claims.
(With inputs from agencies)
