US destroyer approaches illegal Chinese islands

A US destroyer is approaching the 12-nautical mile boundary around artificial islands illegally built by China in the East Sea. Meanwhile, Beijing warned the US to be cautious before acting.

Aerial image of artificial islands illegally built by China in the East Sea. Photo: Reuters.

A US Department of Defense official said on October 26 that the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen is approaching the 12-nautical mile boundary around artificial islands illegally built by China in the Spratly Islands of Vietnam in the East Sea and will stay in the area for several hours. This patrol by the US Navy will start a series of actions challenging Beijing's sovereignty claims in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

The USS Lassen began its journey early on October 27 (local time) near Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly Islands of Vietnam. Before Beijing began a large-scale dredging project to turn these reefs into artificial islands in 2014, they were submerged at high tide.

The US Navy's guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen. Photo: Reuters

Previously, on October 26, the US news agency AP quoted US defense officials as saying that the White House had approved the US Navy's plan to dispatch a warship to patrol near islands illegally built by China in the East Sea.

According to AP, President Barack Obama's administration has repeatedly affirmed that it will exercise freedom of navigation in any international waters, including the East Sea.

In an initial response, on October 27, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the country is trying to verify information that the US sent a naval ship to the area within 12 nautical miles around islands illegally controlled by China in the East Sea.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said: "If that is true, we advise the US to think again before acting, and not to act blindly or create unnecessary trouble."

* US-China agreement on military aviation safety conduct

In the context of both the US and China increasing their activities at sea and in the air, especially in the East Sea, the two sides have just reached an agreement, agreeing to conduct their military aircraft safely.

A VNA reporter in Washington quoted US military sources on October 26 as saying that the newly reached additional clause in the memorandum on flight safety requires pilots of US and Chinese military aircraft operating in the same area to fly at a safe distance from each other, exchange information clearly with each other and avoid any provocative actions. The third additional clause clearly states that military crews of the two sides when meeting in the air “must refrain from using impolite words or unfriendly gestures” to avoid unwanted incidents.

This additional provision clearly reflects the needs of both sides after the incident on September 15, when two Chinese fighter jets actively intercepted the flight path of a US Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft operating about 130 km off the Chinese coast. The US side said that the actions of the two Chinese fighter jets were "dangerous and unsafe".

The most serious incident in the air between the US and China was in March 2001 when a US Navy EP-3 reconnaissance plane and a Chinese fighter jet collided over the South China Sea, killing the Chinese pilot and forcing the US plane with 24 crew members to land and stay at an airport on Hainan Island for more than a week, leading to a deadlock in military relations between the two countries for a decade.

According to experts, the agreement just reached between the US and China is necessary in the context that a US Department of Defense official said on October 26 that the US Navy plans to deploy the destroyer USS Lassen within 12 nautical miles (21 km) of the artificial islands that China illegally built in the East Sea within the next 24 hours. The warship will likely be escorted by P-8A and P-3 surveillance aircraft, which regularly conduct surveillance operations in the area. This will be the first concrete move in the US plan to regularly deploy patrols in the East Sea.

According to Baotintuc.vn