The Chinese armed forces announced that they “expelled” one american warship which entered Chinese waters off the Paracel Islands today, the anniversary of an international court ruling that Beijing can have no claims in the South China Sea. The U.S. warship USS Benfold entered Chinese waters without China’s approval, violating its sovereignty and undermining stability in the South China Sea, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theater Command said.
“We urge the United States to immediately stop such provocative actions,” the Chinese military said in a statement. On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Administrative Court in The Hague ruled that China has no historic titles in the South China Sea, a decision that Beijing said it would ignore. Benfold exercised shipping rights and freedoms near the Paracel Islands, which are in accordance with international law, the US Navy said in a statement today. The islands are claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam. These countries require either permission or prior notification before a military vessel passes through this sea area.
“Under international law, as defined by the Convention on the Law of the Sea, ships of all states, including their warships, have the right of safe passage through territorial waters,” the US Navy added. “By exercising its right to a safe passage without prior notice or application to any of the applicants for authorization, the United States has challenged these illegal restrictions imposed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam.”
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