Beijing Warns U.S. Over Navy Patrol in South China Sea<br />TAIWAN CHINA Hanoi Hong Kong Gulf of Tonkin HAINAN PROVINCE PHILIPPINES PARACEL ISLANDS LAOS Manila South China Sea CAMBODIA SPRATLY ISLANDS VIETNAM Palawan Island Mischief Reef<br />300 Miles CHINA TAIWAN Hanoi HAINAN PROVINCE PHILIPPINES PARACEL ISLANDS Manila South China Sea SPRATLY ISLANDS VIETNAM Palawan Island Mischief Reef 300 Miles AUG. 11, 2017<br />But in separate statements, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense accused the United States of stirring regional conflict and suggested<br />that such operations bolstered China’s case for building military facilities across the sea to defend its claimed territory.<br />These freedom of navigation operations near contested islands and reefs across the South China Sea are meant to show<br />that the United States does not accept that China or any other claimant can legally challenge an American naval presence in the area.<br />The passage by the John S. McCain sent the implicit signal<br />that the United States does not accept any territorial sea claims around Mischief Reef, regardless of who claims sovereignty.<br />The reef is about 150 miles from Palawan, the nearest major Philippine island,<br />and more than 650 miles southeast of Hainan, a Chinese island-province that reaches into the South China Sea.<br />11, 2017<br />BEIJING — As the Trump administration pressed China to curb North Korea, Beijing issued its own warning over another festering dispute on Friday, saying<br />that American naval operations in the South China Sea would only force it to deepen its military buildup there.
