A U.S. destroyer patrolled the South China Sea... potentially stirring up conflict with
China.
Connie Kim looks into the trouble brewing on the islands built by China on territory
claimed by four other countries.
An unnamed U.S. defense official told Reuters on Tuesday...
an American destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles，
or 20 kilometers， of China′s manmade islands in the South China Sea.
The Spratleys are a disputed group of more than 750 reefs， islets， atolls， cays
and islands claimed by four other countries， including Vietnam and the Philippines.
The Pentagon has thus far declined to comment but had previously said that the patrols are
within its rights of free navigation and are routine，... but Washington′s decision
is sure to anger Beijing.
Twelve nautical miles around a territory is internationally recognized as sovereign waters，
but the U.S. does not recognize the manmade islands as China′s sovereign territory.
Washington says the construction of artificial islands on submerged reefs does not entitle
a country to claim a territorial limit.
Even though Washington does not recognize the islands as Chinese territory， this will
be the first time the U.S. has breached the 12－mile nautical limit since China began
building up the islands in 2013.
Before the U.S. sent the destroyer， Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi advised the U.S.
to ″think again″ before acting， urging the country ″not to act blindly or make
trouble out of nothing.″
China has long stood firm on its claim to the islands，... saying it would ″never
allow any country″ to violate its territorial waters and airspace in the area.
U.S. experts in China caution against further escalation，... as Washington could launch
another patrol near the artificial islands in the coming weeks.
Connie Kim， Arirang News.