Sea encounters could lead to war, China warns US

PEACE, MAN A Philippine Marine soldier flashes the peace sign to a Chinese Coast Guard ship after it tried to block a resupply vessel from restocking the BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal on March 29. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

BEIJING—China’s Navy chief had warned his US counterpart encounters between their forces could spiral into conflict, state media reported on Friday, two days after a US destroyer sailed close to Beijing’s artificial islands in the South China Sea.

The comments by Adm. Wu Shengli, who commands the Chinese Navy, were made in a video call with US Adm. John Richardson that lasted about an hour, Beijing’s official Xinhua news agency said.

They came after the guided missile destroyer USS Lassen sailed within 21 kilometers (12 nautical miles) of Zamora Reef (international name: Subi Reef), a Philippine-claimed reef in the Spratly archipelago that China has taken over and developed into an artificial island.

Chinese authorities monitored and warned away the vessel, but did not otherwise intervene, although Beijing later summoned the US ambassador and denounced what it called a threat to its sovereignty.

“If the US continues to carry out these kinds of dangerous, provocative acts, there could be a serious situation between frontline forces from both sides on the sea and in the air, or even a minor incident that could spark conflict,” Xinhua paraphrased Wu as saying.

“I hope the US cherishes the hard-won, good situation between the Chinese and US Navies, and avoids similar incidents from happening again,” Wu added.

Beijing insists it has sovereign rights to nearly all of the South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which about a third of all the world’s traded oil passes.

The disputed waters also claimed in part or in whole by Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Brunei have also become the stage for a tussle for regional dominance between Beijing and Washington, the world’s two largest economic and military powers.

Tensions have mounted since China transformed reefs in the area into small islands capable of supporting military facilities, a move the United States says threatens freedom of navigation.

Washington has repeatedly said it does not recognize Chinese claims to territorial waters around the artificial islands.

China suffered a setback on Thursday in its broad territorial claims in the South China Sea when a UN arbitral court in The Hague said it had jurisdiction to hear a case brought by the Philippines over those claims.

A Pentagon spokesperson said the US and Chinese commanders discussed “freedom of navigation operations, the relationship between the two Navies including pending port visits, senior leader engagement and the importance of maintaining an ongoing dialogue” on the call.

A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Chinese had expressed no desire to cancel scheduled visits by Chinese ships to a Florida port next week, and that Adm. Harry Harris, the commander of the US Pacific Command, would still visit China.

“We look forward to continue this dialogue,” the official said.

Harris is due in China on Monday for a three-day trip, including meetings with senior Chinese military leaders, the US Pacific Command said, adding that “candidly addressing and managing disagreements” was among the objectives.

A US official told Agence France-Presse on Tuesday that the US Navy would send more warships to sail close to the controversial islets.  AFP

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