China conducts strikes against Taiwan – US destroyers in disputed sea area

In escalating tensions between China and the US, the US guided-missile destroyer USS Milius completed a mission in a disputed sea area in the South China Sea on Monday.

As the US 7th Fleet announced, the US warship sailed near the Mischief Reef to advocate for freedom of navigation in the sea area claimed by China and other countries. After “normal use”, the “USS Milius” left the disputed area around the Spratly Islands atoll.

The reef is inundated with water in its natural state and therefore does not allow for territorial claims under the Convention on the Law of the Sea, the statement said. China’s land reclamation and the facilities built have not changed that. “Illegal and far-reaching claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas, including freedom of navigation and overflight, free trade and unimpeded business.”

China claims almost all of the South China Sea and has built artificial islands to support its claims. This also applies to strategically important and resource-rich areas that countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines claim as their own. Neighboring countries of the US and China accuse Beijing of increasing militarization of the region. The International Court of Arbitration in The Hague rejected China’s territorial claims in 2016. However, China ignores the verdict.

The deployment of the US destroyer came against the backdrop of new tensions between the US and China over Taiwan. Following Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s visit and her political talks in the United States, Beijing is once again holding large-scale, three-day maneuvers near the island’s democratic republic. (sda/dpa)