U.S. Navy destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur on Saturday sailed within the territorial waters of an island claimed by China and two other countries in the South China Sea, a move designed to challenge "excessive maritime claims that restrict the rights and freedoms of the United States and others," a U.S. Defense Department spokesman said.
Wilbur, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, made what the Pentagon called an "innocent passage" within 12 miles nautical miles of Triton Island, part of the Paracel Islands, an archipelago claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam, reported ABC News. None of the countries were informed ahead of time, and there were no foreign military vessels in the area.
"This operation demonstrates, as President Obama and Secretary [Ash] Carter have stated, the United States will fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows. That is true in the South China Sea, as in other places around the globe," said Navy Commander Bill Urban, according to CNN. "This operation was about challenging excessive maritime claims that restrict the rights and freedoms of the United States and others, not about territorial claims to land features."
China's foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said that the three-hour operation violated Chinese law.
"The U.S. naval ship violated Chinese law to enter China's territorial waters. China monitored the ship's movement and issued verbal messages in accordance with law," Hua Chunying said. "We urge the U.S. side to respect and abide by relevant laws of China, and do more to improve mutual trust as well as regional peace and stability."
China asserts ownership over a large majority of the South China Sea, while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have partial claims, according to AFP.
Over the past couple years, China has expanded its territorial claims in the area by rapidly building artificial islands, some of which now contain military facilities and airstrips, raising tensions in the region and prompting U.S. intervention.
In October, the USS Lassen was sent within 12 miles of an artificial island claimed by China in the Spratly Islands chain, and in November, U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers flew near other contested islands, according to Fox News.
Urban said that the U.S. "takes no position on competing sovereignty claims between the parties to naturally formed land features in the South China Sea," but it does "take a strong position on protecting the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all countries, and that all maritime claims must comply with international law."
