South China Sea Update: USS Dewey Destroyer Sails Into Disputed Waters
USS Dewey, the United States navy's guided-missile destroyer, just conducted a freedom of navigation circuit on disputed waters in the South China Sea. This move is seen to be a signal challenging China's unilateral claim over the controversial seas.
The warship has been reported to have approached the Mischief Reef, a resource-rich area disputed by several countries, within 12 nautical miles. In an exercise referred to as a "maneuvering drill," the USS Dewey skirted the waters around an artificial island built by China to demonstrate to Beijing that these waters are not within their territorial rights, according to U.S. officials as quoted by Reuters.
The drill prompted China to make a heated response, as the destroyer went outside of normal "innocent passage" maneuvers, where a warship crosses a recognized territorial water area without stopping. The USS Dewey stopped to do a "man overboard" drill on Thursday, May 25, sending a wordless statement to China.
An official, speaking anonymously, confirmed the exercise and its intent. "The ship's actions demonstrated that Mischief Reef is not entitled to its own territorial sea regardless of whether an artificial island has been built on top of it," the incognito official said.
China has routinely accused the U.S. of aggravating tensions in the contested region with their maritime operations, according to the International Business Times. For its part, the U.S. maintains that it is conducting these freedom of navigation sailing exercises to ensure free passage for ships in what they consider to be international waters.
In a statement, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said, "We operate in the Asia-Pacific region on daily basis, including in the South China Sea. We operate in accordance with international law." Davis noted this without emphasis on the USS Dewey's recent maneuver. This development comes in as the Trump administration is in talks with China on the subject of the increasingly militarizing North Korea.
