US Navy Conducts Two 'Freedom of Navigation' Ops in South China Sea - Report
02:07 22.11.2019(updated 02:26 22.11.2019)
US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper criticized earlier Beijing's policy in the South China Sea, accusing the country of jeopardizing regional stability and adding that the US will maintain its routine military presence in the region "to demonstrate the seriousness" of commitments.
Spokeswoman for the US Navy's Seventh Fleet, Commander Reann Mommsen, said, cited by Reuters, that US Navy warships sailed near disputed territories in the South China Sea on Wednesday and Thursday and the operation 'Freedom of Navigation' this time involved the Paracel Islands and Mischief Reef.
This maritime passage in the South China Sea is one of the sticking points in the relations between Washington and Beijing.
The majority of islands in the South China Sea are controlled by Beijing, but are also claimed by several other countries, including Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia and the Philippines. While China accuses the Philippines and Vietnam of using the US support for escalating tensions, Washington questions Beijing's commitment to peacefully resolving maritime disputes.
In 2016, an international arbitration panel in The Hague rejected China's claim to own the entire South China Sea. China rejected the ruling and has built military bases on both sides of the sea to enforce its claim.
The US military activities near the disputed islands are a matter of concern for the Chinese government. In May, China protested the unauthorized passage of a US military ship near the disputed Scarborough Reef in the South China Sea, considering it as a violation of China's sovereignty.
© Sputnik
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