May 28, 2018
The United States has sailed two warships past a handful of disputed islands in the South China Sea for the first time, a move that drew the ire of Beijing.

A US official told CNN that the guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins and the cruiser USS Antietam sailed within 12 miles of four of the Paracel Islands in its what the US Navy calls a "freedom of navigation operation" (FONOP), which are meant to enforce the right of free passage in international waters.
The US Navy operation occurred Sunday, according to Reuters, which first reported it.
US Navy operation threatens Chinas security, Beijing says
Ian Storey, senior fellow at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, told CNN it was the first time under the Obama and Trump administrations that more than one US ship had been involved in such an operation.
"It appears that the US it pursuing a harder line against China in the South China Sea ... Of course whether these will actually have any impact on China's behavior is unclear," he said.
China's Foreign and Defense ministries accused the Washington of encroaching on Beijing's territory by sailing past the islands. A statement from ministry spokesman Lu Kang called on the US to "immediately stop such provocative actions that encroach upon China's sovereignty and threaten China's security."
US Navy operation threatens Chinas security, Beijing says
One of the islands involved in the FONOP was Woody island, believed to have been used for military drills that involved Chinese nuclear-capable bombers earlier this month.
But despite the recent news, Storey said it was more likely the FONOP had been planned months in advance as a show of support for US allies ahead of Defense Secretary James Mattis' visit to Singapore in the coming week. Mattis will be in Singapore for the 2018 Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual meeting of the world's top defense analysts and government ministers.
"He could point to the FONOPS in the Paracels around five days earlier and say, 'We're protecting freedom of navigation in the South China Sea like we do around the world'," he said.
US Navy operation threatens Chinas security, Beijing says
Missiles, radar in South China Sea
In recent years, the Chinese government has built a number of artificial islands in the South China Sea with military installations, including radars facilities and airstrips.
US intelligence in early May said there was a high likelihood Beijing had deployed anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles to three of their artificial islands as part of large-scale military drills.
As part of the US government's new tough line in the South China Sea, it uninvited the Chinese military on May 23rd from the biannual RIMPAC naval drills, saying Beijing's behavior was "inconsistent" with the spirit of the exercises.
It drew a stern response from the Chinese government, who said the US decision was "non-constructive."
Beijing says much of the South China Sea is its sovereign territory, claims most of the internationally community view as spurious.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei also claim islands parts of the South China Sea.
An international court ruled in 2016 that most of Beijing's claims in the South China Sea were illegal, but that decision has not significantly affected the status quo on the ground.
Washington says it engages in freedom of navigation operations to enforce the right of free passage in contested waters.

US hawks take control
The latest series of operations and exercises comes amid a reorganization of the top military brass in the United States Pacific Command.
Adm. Philip Davidson, who has been nominated to take over from Adm. Harry Harris as the head of Pacific Command, told US lawmakers in a submission in April that China could now control the South China Sea in all scenarios "short of war."
"To ensure stability, US operations in the South China Sea must remain regular and routine. In my view, any decrease in air or maritime presence would likely reinvigorate PRC expansion," Davidson's written answers said.
When Davidson faced US senators during a confirmation hearing with the Armed Services Committee on April 17, he said it was "incredibly important" the American government came together to deal with China.
"I intend to work closely with the State Department," the admiral said.
At the US Navy Pacific Fleet's change of command ceremony in Hawaii in mid-May, outgoing commander Adm. Scott Swift called what is happening in the South China Sea an example of "using might to make it right ... a creeping genesis of a new rules-based order formed on the basis of military power, not international consensus."
Related Stories
Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Olivia Munn Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Double Mastectomy Procedure | E! News
March 13, 2024
kUaEV1Kd3S0
Travis Kelce Shares Details From His Trip to Singapore With Taylor Swift | E! News
March 13, 2024
3YXi-Dgf4eg
Kate Middleton VIRAL Photo: Agency Addresses Photoshop Claims | E! News
March 13, 2024
S4VkO0TpkCY
Da'Vine Joy Randolph Plays 'Smash or Pass' With Iconic Moments From Her Career
March 13, 2024
vkPdJEF2BX4
Jean Smart Wears a Hotel Bathrobe to Present an Award to Hannah Einbinder l Power of Comedy SxSW
March 12, 2024
Bw7uVEYQev4
Lenny Kravitz Walk of Fame Ceremony
March 12, 2024
MlWq8BcnwhE
Dak Prescott Extortion Plot & Steph Curry for President? | TMZ Sports Full Ep - 3/12/24
March 13, 2024
jHFsrjs7OFY
A Japanese space rocket blew up after takeoff Tuesday, turning the sky into a fireball of smoke.
March 13, 2024
YkfJ3Qg8B7c
#KimKardashian and #BiancaCensori hung out at #KanyeWest's listening party Tuesday night!
March 13, 2024
EfwLLq6bx9k
‘Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond denies using Ozempic to lose 60 pounds
March 13, 2024
Omfjk1AlZ3A
Chrissy Teigen reveals her ‘boob lift scars’ in daring dress at Jay-Z & Beyoncé’s Oscars 2024 party
March 13, 2024
VxZ2qXAlpmU
Zoë Kravitz pokes fun at dad Lenny Kravitz's style during Hollywood Walk of Fame speech
March 13, 2024
j3-lcFu_1sQ
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
SC Freiburg - Bayer Leverkusen
17
Mar
USA: Major League Soccer
Atlanta United - Orlando City
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
West Ham United - Aston Villa
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Rayo Vallecano - Real Betis
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Championship
Leeds - Millwall
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Las Palmas - Almeria
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Villarreal - Valencia
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Sevilla - Celta Vigo
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
11
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Chelsea - Newcastle United
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Liverpool - Manchester City
10
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Real Madrid - Celta Vigo
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Aston Villa - Tottenham Hotspur
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Atalanta
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Fiorentina - Roma
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
AC Milan - Empoli
09
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Werder Bremen - Borussia Dortmund
09
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Arsenal - Brentford
09
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Bologna - Inter Milan
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.