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| (Source: Reuters) US Navy image shows China circling the heavily disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea |
On Friday October 21st,
2016 a US destroyer sailed through the South China Sea to exemplify the abilities
of the US under International Laws of the Sea from the UN, according to the
White House spokesman Josh Earnest. This action was also meant to show a signal
to China that the international sea is not open for their claims.
Over the past
few years, China has been actively forming man made landmasses for military use
in the South China Sea. These new formed islands are for naval supply ports and
air force landing bases, felicitating China’s interests of asserting dominance
in this region. The US has responded to these movements by supporting
territorial allies, and exercising our rights to sail in the South China Sea.
The Chinese Defense Ministry responded to these events by calling them a
serious breach of law, however did not use physical means to express a threat.
As tensions rise between the US and China grow increasingly tenser, movements
in this sea will determine how future actions will be responded to. Will China
continue to build artificial islands and military strongholds that threaten
other countries and their rights in the South China Sea? Only time will tell.
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| (Source: US-China Institute) The many facets of the disputes in the South China Sea |
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