An American Navy destroyer has carried out a “freedom of navigation operation” in the South China Sea, coming within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built up by Beijing, US officials said.
Key points:
- The exercise comes at a time when the US is looking to Beijing for help with North Korea
- China slams the operation as violating international law and harming its security
- The operation marks the third of its kind under the Trump administration
The operation came as US President Donald Trump’s administration seeks Chinese cooperation in dealing with North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs and could complicate efforts to secure a common stance.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the USS John S McCain travelled close to Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands, among a string of islets, reefs and shoals — China has territorial disputes with its neighbours over the area.
It was the third “freedom of navigation operation” or “fonop” conducted during Mr Trump’s presidency.
Late Thursday evening, China’s Foreign Ministry responded that the USS John S McCain had “violated Chinese and international laws, as well as severely harmed China’s sovereignty and security”.
No comments:
Post a Comment