Chinese Friendly Media Falsely Reporting China Warned Off U.S. Warship
By Donald Standeford, Correspondent - Follow -
Date Published: April 20th, 2021 7:30PM UTC
Last Modified: April 20th, 2021 7:30PM UTC
SOUTH CHINA SEA - Chinese military, along with Chinese friendly media outlets have falsely reported that the United States Navy's missile destroyer, USS Curtis Wilbur had "trespassed" into Chinese territory by the Paracel Islands and was "warned off" and "expelled" by Chinese naval vessels.
The report, which was blasted over many media outlet channels across the internet was CCP misinformation, and the U.S. Navy has denounced the claims, saying that the statements by the Chinese are false and that the USS Curtis Wilbur was not in fact 'expelled' or 'warned off' any territory.
The U.S. Navy put out a statement saying, "The PLA’s statement about this mission is false. USS Curtis Wilbur was not ‘expelled’ from any nation’s territory. USS Curtis Wilbur conducted this (Freedom Of Navigation Operation) in accordance with international law and then continued on to conduct normal operations in international waters. The operation reflects our commitment to upholding freedom of navigation and lawful uses of the sea as a principle. The United States will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, as USS Curtis Wilbur did here".
In addition, the U.S. Navy said, "The PLA's statement is the latest in a long string of PRC actions to misrepresent lawful U.S. maritime operations and asserts its excessive and illegitimate maritime claims at the expense in the Southeast Asian neighbors in the South China Sea. The PRC’s behavior stands in contrast to the United States’ adherence to international law and our vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region. All nations, large and small, should be secure in their sovereignty, free from coercion, and able to pursue economic growth consistent with accepted international rules and norms".
The three countries who lay claim to the Parcel Islands are: China, Vietnam and Taiwan and all of them require that they are given advanced notice before other nations military is allowed to pass through..
Such requirements however are not in accordance with international law. The U.S. Navy stated that international law doesn't allow a single country to draw baselines around the Paracel Islands, yet China continues to attempt to do so anyway.
The U.S. Navy said, "With these baselines, China has attempted to claim more internal waters, territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf than it is entitled to under international law. By conducting this operation, the United States demonstrated that these waters are beyond what China can lawfully claim as its territorial sea, and that China’s claimed straight baselines around the Paracel Islands are inconsistent with international law".
"This freedom of navigation operation (‘FONOP’) upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law by challenging the unlawful restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam and also by challenging China’s claim to strait baselines enclosing the Paracel Islands" The U.S. Navy continued.
The United States Navy continues to reiterate that it will "fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows – regardless of the location of excessive maritime claims and regardless of current events", and not allow China to dictate where the lines should be drawn beyond what international law allows and does not allow.
