U.S. Warship Sails Near Disputed Island In The South China Sea

Over the past few days, the USS Stehem sailed close to Triton Island, which is part of the Paracel Islands archipelago, a territory claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam in the South China Sea dispute. The warship, a guided-missile destroyer, sailed below the territorial limits that are internationally recognized, which is 12 nautical miles of Triton Island, thereby showing that the U.S. is not acknowledging territorial claims in the area. After forcing the navy of the then-South Vietnam off its holdings, the Paracel islands were fully occupied by China in 1974. With that said, it is important to note that the South China Sea is one of the most important shipping routes in the world, as it is a rich fishing ground and is believed to have abundant oil and gas reserves. China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei have held tensions over the maritime territories for years.

Under President Xi Jinping, China has accelerated its territorial claims, such as by building artificial islands and military facilities and patrolling in disputed waters. Meanwhile, the U.S. has tried to maintain a military presence in the zone to maintain their position as the most important strategic power in the region. Since President Donald Trump took office, this is the second “freedom-of-navigation-operation” that the State Department claims is to highlight the necessity of protecting maritime rights globally.

The military presence in Triton Island has caused political tensions between the U.S. and China. Beijing called the presence of the warship “a serious military and political provocation” and assured that Chinese government will use “all necessary means to defend national sovereignty and security.” However, while China considers the islands as its territory, the U.S. sees Beijing’s presence in disputed waters as a threat to freedom of navigation in the zone. As such, the U.S. has repeatedly warned China against its occupation and aggressive reclamation of the territories. A few days after the incident, U.S. Defence Secretary James Mattis said that “the US would not accept China´s militarization of man-made islands in the region.”

Even though the relation between President Trump and President Xi Jinping has been cordial, the U.S. has also stepped up pressure on Beijing as America feels that China has not done much to pressure North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs. This tension undermines, even more, the trust between the two superpowers and makes the joint action to reduce the threat of North Korean nuclear weapons more difficult. Consequently, the Chinese Defence Ministry said that “the US conduct seriously damages strategic trust between the two sides and seriously damages the political atmosphere of the development of China-US military relations.”

Today, the world faces a real threat of nuclear war caused by the reckless behaviour of the North Korean regime. It would be expected that superpowers in the region would cooperate to find a peaceful and long-lasting solution to this problem instead of finding new sources of tension and conflict. The South China Sea has been disputed over for decades by countries in the region and it requires a solution that works for every state involved. However, as of now, the most urgent issue to address is the risk of nuclear annihilation that just one nuclear warhead launched by Pyongyang could unleash.

Diego Cardona T.

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