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BEIJING (Reuters)-The Chinese military said on Monday that it “drove” a US warship that illegally entered Chinese waters near the Paracel Islands. This is the anniversary of the International Court of Justice ruling that Beijing has no claim for sovereignty in the South China Sea.
The Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army stated that the “Benford” aircraft carrier entered the sea without China’s approval, which seriously violated China’s sovereignty and undermined the stability of the South China Sea.
“We urge the United States to immediately stop this provocative behavior,” it said in a statement.
On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China has no historical ownership of the South China Sea, and Beijing said it would ignore this ruling.
The U.S. Navy said in a statement that the Benford claimed to have the right and freedom of navigation in compliance with international law near the Paracel Islands.
China, Taiwan, and Vietnam have sovereignty over these islands and require permission or prior notice before warships can pass.
The US Navy added: “According to the international law reflected in the Convention on the Law of the Sea, ships of all countries, including their warships, have the right to pass through territorial waters harmlessly.”
‘Passed innocent’
“By making harmless passages without prior notice or permission from any claimant, the United States has challenged these illegal restrictions imposed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.”
Brunei, China, Malaysia and the Philippines compete for hundreds of other islands, coral reefs and atolls in resource-rich waterways. China claims to own the so-called nine-dash line or the right to resources in most of the region.
The U.S. Navy said: “Through this operation, the United States has shown that these waters are beyond the scope that China can legally claim as its territorial waters. The straight baseline around the Paracel Islands claimed by China does not comply with international law.”
The Hague Court also stated in its 2016 ruling that China has interfered with the Philippines’ traditional fishing rights in Scarborough Shoal and explored for oil and gas near Reed Beach, infringing on the country’s sovereign rights.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Brinken said on Sunday that freedom of the sea is the “enduring” interest of all nations.
Brinken said in a statement: “In the South China Sea, the rule-based maritime order is most threatened.”
“The People’s Republic of China continues to coerce and intimidate coastal countries in Southeast Asia, threatening the freedom of navigation on this critical global channel.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference on Monday that the United States is undermining regional peace and stability.
In the Philippines, more than 100 human rights activists gathered outside the Chinese consulate building to urge Beijing to respect the arbitration ruling and allow Filipinos to fish freely in the South China Sea.
The crowd marched with Philippine flags and banners, which read: “China leaves the West Philippine Sea” and “China leaves our waters.”
Manila refers to the South China Sea part that it claims to be the West Philippine Sea.
“Since our court’s victory, nothing has changed. The Chinese Coast Guard, the Chinese militia… still exist in the West Philippine Sea,” said Fernando Hicap, the head of the Federation of Small Fishermen’s Groups.
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