US Destroyer John McCain Entered Waters Near Disputed Paracel Islands
Dave DeCamp / AntiWar.com
(October 9, 2020) — A Chinese military spokesperson said on Friday that the US destroyer John McCain sailed near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, a disputed archipelago that China claims. The spokesperson said the US did not have permission from Beijing to sail the warship into the sensitive waters.
“We demand the US immediately stop such provocative actions, (and) strictly control and restrict military operations in the sea and air,” the spokesperson said.
The South China Sea has turned into a major flashpoint between the US and China. Beijing and its Southeast Asian neighbors all have overlapping claims to the waters. In July, the US formally rejected most of China’s claims to the South China Sea and has since sanctioned Chinese companies involved in construction projects in the region.
Throughout the summer, the US sent aircraft carriers into the contested waters and held massive naval drills. There has also been an uptick in US military flights in the region, and observers recorded instances of the US disguising spy planes as civilian aircraft in the region.
Since 2015, the US has run what it calls Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOP) in the South China Sea, increasing tensions in the region. The FONOPs usually involve sailing a warship near the contested archipelagos and always draw sharp condemnation from Beijing.
US Flexes Muscles at Beijing With Massive Navy Exercise
US military aircraft continue to fly reconnaissance missions just south of Taiwan, over the Bashi Channel
(July 5, 2020) — The US Navy conducted massive drills in the South China Sea on Saturday, with two aircraft carriers involved in the exercises. According to The Wall Street Journal, hundreds of jets, helicopters, and surveillance planes took off from the USS Nimitz and the USS Ronald Reagan in Washington’s largest military drills in the region in recent years.
“The Nimitz Carrier Strike Force celebrated Independence Day with unmatched sea power while deployed to the South China Sea conducting dual carrier operations and exercises in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” The US Navy’s Seventh Fleet said in a statement.
The exercise is a show of force aimed at Beijing, who held its own drills over the weekend near the Paracel Islands, a disputed archipelago that China, Vietnam, and Taiwan all lay claim to. China’s build-up of military and research facilities on the Paracel Islands and the Spratly islands, another contested archipelago, has drawn the ire of Washington.
Since 2015, the US has run what it calls Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOP) in the South China Sea, increasing tensions in the region. The FONOPs usually involve sailing a warship near the contested archipelagos and always draw sharp condemnation from Beijing.
“The fundamental cause of instability in the South China Sea is the large-scale military activities and flexing of muscles by some non-regional country that lies tens of thousands of miles away,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a press conference on Friday.
The Bashi Channel, a waterway just south of Taiwan, has turned into another flashpoint for the US and China. Friday marked the 13th day in a row that US military aircraft flew over the Bashi Channel. The South China Morning Post reported that the US sent six large reconnaissance aircraft and two refueling tankers on Friday’s mission. The planes were reportedly searching for Chinese submarines in the area.
US Spy Planes Disguised as Civilian Airliners Near China’s Coast
Think tanks warns of the danger the practice poses to actual civilian aircraft
(September 18, 2020) — Beijing has accused the US of flying military planes near China’s coast and disguising them as civilian airliners by changing transponder codes at least 100 times this year. The accusation comes at a time of heightened tensions between the two powers, which has increased US military activity in the Indo-Pacific.
The Beijing-based think tank South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI) has recorded instances of the US cloaking its spy planes as airliners.
According to the SCSPI, between September 8th and 10th, US spy planes disguised as Malaysian aircraft flew over the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and the Yellow Sea near China’s coast.
The think tank warned in its report that this practice increases the danger to actual civilian aircraft in the region, risking misidentification. The SCSPI said the US has a record of changing transponder numbers when it flies reconnaissance in places like Iran and Venezuela.
“It’s a common trick for the US Air Force to impersonate the transponder code of civilian aircraft from other countries … It is of a vile nature,” China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. “We urge the US to immediately stop such dangerous provocations, to avoid accidents from happening in the sea and air.”
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