US Navy to continue presence in South China Sea
The US Navy has no intention to cease military operations in the South China Sea despite objections from the Chinese government, according to the US Defense of Department.
Admiral John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, made the comments during a press briefing at the Pentagon on Tuesday, after returning from a trip to China.
During the visit to Beijing, Richardson said he made it clear to Chinese officials that America’s presence in the sea has a long-standing nature.
“I made it fairly clear that our activity in the South China Sea is by and large relatively constant for a long time. The activity levels and the complexity and all that has not really changed,” he explained.
“I think they kind of understand that we are going to be there,” Richardson added. “I think it’s just a matter of continuing to exercise these types of things, and it will be less a point of discussion and more just what we do.”
China claims “indisputable sovereignty” over most of the South China Sea and looks unfavorably upon the continued American military presence there.
Washington has complained that Chinese planes and ships have performed unsafe maneuvers while shadowing American warships and aircraft in the region.
This is while Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have their own territorial claims over parts of the sea.
Earlier this month, the situation became more complex after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that there was no legal basis for Beijing to claim historical rights to resources within much of the South China Sea.
“It’s a complex situation,” Richardson said, while pointing out China’s growing influence in the region. “They’ve established a dynamic, I think, where they’re trying to posture many of their actions as a responsive measure.”
However, he said despite the existing disagreements, ties between Washington and Beijing were moving towards more progress.
That point was echoed by US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday, who said Washington wanted to avoid “confrontation” in the disputed South China Sea and help resolve the issue peacefully.
"We hope to see a process that will narrow the geographic scope of the maritime disputes, set standards for behavior in contested areas, lead to mutually acceptable solutions, perhaps even a series of confidence-building steps," he said during a trip to Manila, the Philippines.
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