Yokosuka Naval Base (Japan): In a move to counter China which has been active in the region, the guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill steamed near the disputed Spratly Islands on April 29 marking the US sending a warship on a freedom-of-navigation operation in the South China Sea this week for the second time.
The mission challenged restrictions by China, Vietnam and Taiwan, which dispute sovereignty over the Spratly Islands, 7th Fleet spokeswoman Cmdr. Reann Mommsen said in a statement. The Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei also lay claim to portions of the islands.
“China, Vietnam, and Taiwan purport to require either permission or advance notification before a military vessel or warship engages in ‘innocent passage’ through the territorial sea,” she said.
“The unilateral imposition of any authorisation or advance-notification requirement for innocent passage is not permitted by international law, so the United States challenged those requirements.”
The day before, the guided-missile destroyer USS Barry conducted a similar operation through the Paracel Islands, another chain in the region over which China, Vietnam and Taiwan have overlapping claims.
The US does not recognise any country’s claim over either island chain.
“Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas,” Mommsen said in her statement. “The international community has an enduring role in preserving the freedom of the seas, which is critical to global security, stability, and prosperity.”
Li Huamin, a spokesman for the Chinese southern theatre command, criticised the Barry’s presence on the command’s WeChat social media account, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.
“These provocative acts by the US side … have seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security interests, deliberately increased regional security risks and could easily trigger an unexpected incident,” Li said.
China views the 110-mile-wide strait as its territorial waters, but the US considers it an international waterway.
The operations took place as the 7th Fleet prepares the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group to leave for a patrol of the region.
However, the Barry, Bunker Hill and other vessels have been at sea several months, setting out before the pandemic struck Navy crews, Task Force 70 commander Rear Adm. George Wikoff said. Task Force 70 is the battle arm of the 7th Fleet.
