US Rejects China’s Trespassing Claim As Philippine Military Backs USS Charleston Passage
China called it an act of U.S. infringement on China’s sovereignty rights and interests to which U.S. replied that China’s claims did not have any legal basis.
Washington has rejected Beijing’s claim that a U.S. Navy vessel, the USS Charleston, trespassed into its territorial waters and advised the country to stop its illegal activities in the South China Sea. After the U.S. vessel sailed close to the Sabina Shoal, China immediately sent its naval warships to monitor its movements.
The incident was referred to as the U.S. infringement on China’s sovereignty rights and interests by several military officials, to which the U.S. replied that China’s claims were unlawful and not in accordance with international law.
China claims the entire South China Sea as part of its territory, even though its neighbours like the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, etc. also assert rights over some islands and shoals close to their respective coasts.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said that the U.S. would fly, sail and operate wherever international law permits, including the South China Sea, as per the right to freedom of navigation, which allows every country to sail its ships in international waters.
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