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US Navy needs to exercise freedom of navigation: Cmdr.

Aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan arrives at the US Navy base in Yokosuka, a suburb of Tokyo, on October 1, 2015. The US Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) departed San Diego for Yokosuka on August 31 to replace the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility. (AFP)

The commander of US forces in the Pacific, Admiral Harry Harris, said Friday that the United States must “exercise freedom of navigation wherever we need to.”

However, he declined to say whether the navy planned to go within 12 nautical miles of China's artificial islands in the South China Sea, Reuters reported.

Asked about reports that the US planned to challenge 12-nautical mile limits around China's artificial islands, he replied: "I will not confirm that. I simply won't discuss future operations."

Harris said: "I believe that we should exercise freedom of navigation wherever we need to. With regards to whether we are going to sail within 12 miles, or fly within 12 miles, of any of the reclaimed islands that China has built in the South China Sea, I will reserve that for later."

This week The Financial Times newspaper cited a senior US official as saying that American ships would sail within 12-nautical-mile zones that China claims as territory around the artificial islands in the Spratly chain, within the next two weeks.

Reports said the action could take place "within days," but was awaiting final approval from the Obama administration.

A US defense official told Reuters on Thursday the United States was considering sending ships inside the zones.

On Friday, China's Foreign Ministry said Beijing would not stand for violations of its territorial waters in the name of freedom of navigation and urged "related parties not to take any provocative actions."

China claims most of the South China Sea, though Washington has signaled it does not recognize Beijing's claims to islands it has built and that the US Navy will continue to operate wherever international law allows.


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