US Navy ships pass by a Chinese-militarized island in the South China Sea.
Recall that Celebrity Telegraph reported that China conducted military exercises around Taiwan for three days, which included the simulation of targeted strikes and the “sealing off” of the island.
The US Navy has deployed a destroyer near a disputed island in the South China Sea, which China has fortified with military installations to establish its territorial claims in the area.
The move coincided with China’s ongoing military drills near Taiwan, which was initiated after Taiwan’s President made a brief visit to the United States.
The USS Milius, a guided-missile destroyer, sailed within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands, also known as the Nansha Islands in China.
The reef is claimed by Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines, but China has built it up and installed military infrastructure to assert its ownership.
According to a statement by the US 7th Fleet, the US maintains that China’s fortification of Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands violates the Law of the Sea Convention.
The US argues that since the reef is submerged at high tide in its natural state, it does not have a territorial sea, and China’s land reclamation efforts and military structures do not change this under international law.
The US Navy has sent a guided-missile destroyer, the USS Milius, within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef in the South China Sea, which China has militarized to assert its territorial claims over the region.
The sailing took place as China’s military entered its third day of exercises around Taiwan, in response to a visit by Taiwan’s President to the US. While Mischief Reef is claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan, China has fortified it and built military infrastructure to support its claims.
The US asserts that such actions violate the Law of the Sea Convention, but China maintains it has “indisputable sovereignty” over the region.
The US routinely conducts freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea to defend the rights of all vessels to operate there, and will continue to do so despite China’s claims.