US warship sails in disputed waterway amid China, Philippines tensions

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – A US warship Thursday sailed near Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea amid tensions between the Philippines and China in the vast waterway.

According to US Army’s 7th Fleet, USS Preble (DDG 88) “asserted navigational rights and freedoms” in the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands, “consistent with international law.”

The passage by the warship “upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law by challenging restrictions on innocent passage imposed by” China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, said the Japan-based US army fleet in a statement.

“The unilateral imposition of any authorization or advance-notification requirement for innocent passage is unlawful,” the statement added.

Passage by the US warship comes as China and the Philippines on Wednesday accused each other of provoking a maritime confrontation in the disputed South China Sea.

The Philippine Coast Guard said its vessels encountered a series of aggressive actions by Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) and navy vessels during a routine patrol near Scarborough Shoal.

But China denied the accusation, claiming that four Philippine vessels attempted to intrude into Chinese territorial waters off Huangyan Dao, with CCG vessels acting lawfully to manage the situation.

China and the Philippines have conflicting claims over the Second Thomas Shoal – also known as the Ayungin Shoal, Bai Co May and Ren'ai Jiao – which is a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

“By engaging in innocent passage without giving prior notification to or asking permission from any of the Claimants, the United States challenged these unlawful restriction” imposed by the Beijing, Taipei and Hanoi, said the US military.