The Chinese government has accused the US of trespassing in its territorial waters after a US guided missile destroyer sailed near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.
China vowed to take ‘necessary measures’ to protect its sovereignty after the USS Hopper sailed within 12 nautical miles of Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday evening without China’s permission.
The complaint came within days of US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’ Friday assertion that the US military’s top national security priorities are now countering China’s rapidly expanding military and an increasingly aggressive Russia.
Scarborough is a tiny, uninhabited reef that China seized from the Philippines in 2012 as part of Beijing’s dramatic territorial grab and military buildup in the sea.
Known in Chinese as Huangyan Island, it lies about 120 miles west of the main Philippine island of Luzon, and about 370 miles southeast of China.
The USS Hopper is seen in a file photo from April preparing to moor in Homer, Alaska. The ship angered Beijing on Wednesday by sailing near disputed Scarborough Shoal
The Hopper (seen in a file photo) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer currently on independent deployment in the US Navy’s 7th Fleet area of operations
China Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said a Chinese missile frigate moved to identify and verify the US vessel and warned it to leave the area.
‘We hope that the US respects China’s sovereignty, respects the efforts by regional countries and do not make trouble out of nothing,’ Wu said in a statement on the ministry’s website.
The Hopper is a multi-mission ship with anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare capabilities.
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer entered the US Navy’s 7th Fleet area of operations on January 4, where the ship is on an ‘independent deployment,’ the Navy said in a statement.
‘This forward presence contributes to freedom of navigation and lawful use of the sea, as well as furthers operational training and enables an exchange of culture, skills, and tactical knowledge,’ the Navy said.
Scarborough Shoal is seen in a 2015 satellite photo. Beijing has yet to order military construction on the reef, but many analysts believe it is only a matter of time before they do
This map shows the location of Scarborough Shoal and competing territorial claims in the sea
The United States does not claim territory in the South China Sea but has declared it has a national interest in ensuring that the territorial disputes there are resolved peacefully in accordance with international law.
The Navy regularly sails through the area to assert freedom of navigation.
‘The United States conducts routine and regular FONOPs, as we have done in the past and will continue to do so in the future,’ Lt. Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman, a spokeswoman for the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet, said after China’s claim.
FONOP is the military’s term for freedom of navigation operations.
She said such operations are ‘not about any one country, nor are they about making political statements.’
Instead they aim to ‘demonstrate our commitment to uphold the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law.’
A Filipino fisherman operates around Scarborough Shoal in defiance of a Chinese Coast Guard ship in December 2016. China’s 2012 seizure of the territory sparked major tensions
The South China Sea has crucial shipping lanes, rich fishing grounds and potential oil, gas and other mineral deposits.
China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and has carried out extensive land reclamation work on many of the islands and reefs it claims, equipping some with air strips and military installations.
Beijing has yet to order military construction on Scarborough Shoal, but many analysts believe it is only a matter of time before they do.
Last year China took the first steps by announcing plans to build an environmental monitoring station on the reef.
The reef is home to a major fishery, and China’s 2012 seizure of the territory sparked major tensions with Filipino fishermen.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration, based in The Hague, denied China’s claim over the South China Sea in 2016 and said that China is infringing on the Philippines’ traditional fishing rights. China has refused to accept the court ruling.