Home » The US military issued a statement to refute the CCP: the Benfold is a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea | South China Sea | USS Benfold |

The US military issued a statement to refute the CCP: the Benfold is a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea | South China Sea | USS Benfold |

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[NTD, Beijing, January 20, 2022]The Chinese military said on Thursday (January 20) that it followed and warned a U.S. warship entering waters near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea (South China Sea) to leave. The Navy denies the claim, saying China has no right to prevent the freedom of movement that the U.S. has been conducting.

China’s Southern Theater Command said the USS Benfold “illegally” sailed into China’s territorial waters without permission, violating China’s sovereignty. track.

“We solemnly request the U.S. side to immediately stop such provocative behavior, otherwise it will bear unforeseen serious consequences,” the ministry said.

The U.S. Navy rejects claims that the Benford was warned to leave, saying the ship’s actions in the area reflect the Navy’s commitment to defending freedom of navigation (FONOP).

“The Chinese statement about this mission is wrong,” 7th Fleet spokesman Mark Langford said in a statement. “The 7th Fleet is part of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Forces.”

The statement said the Benford was conducting freedom of navigation operations “in accordance with international law.” The ship then “continues to operate normally in international waters”.

The U.S. Navy routinely conducts such missions in the South China Sea to challenge China’s territorial claims.

“The United States is defending the right of every nation to fly, sail and operate in areas permitted by international law, as the USS Benford did this week. Nothing China can say can stop us,” the statement further said. added.

The “Benford” also sailed near the Spratly Islands on Tuesday. Langford stressed that this is simply a continuation of long-standing U.S. military practice.

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“U.S. troops operate in the South China Sea every day, as they have done for more than a century,” he said in a statement.

U.S. Navy: USS Benford is also challenging straight baselines

The South China Sea has become one of many hotspots in tensions between the U.S. and China, with Washington rejecting Beijing’s territorial claims as illegal.

China claims almost all of the 1.3 million square miles of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory and has established military outposts on artificial islands in the waters. The waters are not only the location of important waterways, but also have natural gas resources and rich fishing grounds.

The Paracel Islands consists of 130 small coral islands and reefs located in the northwestern part of the South China Sea. There are no local residents on the islands, and only 1,400 Chinese troops are stationed there, according to the CIA fact sheet.

Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines all claim the South China Sea.

The right to freedom of navigation that the US says includes sailing within 12 miles of the country’s coastline recognized by international law.

In particular, the U.S. Navy noted that China has established what it calls “straight baselines” that enclose all waters within the island chain, saying the USS Benford is also challenging those claims.

“International law does not allow mainland countries, such as the People’s Republic of China (China), to establish baselines around entire scattered islands,” the U.S. statement said.

(Transfer from The Epoch Times / Responsible Editor: Chen Beichen)

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URL of this article: https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/01/20/a103326064.html

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