A United States Navy guided missile destroyer challenged Chinese claims of sovereignty in and around islands in the South China Sea on Thursday.
A United States Navy guided missile destroyer challenged Chinese claims of sovereignty in and around islands in the South China Sea on Thursday, with a Navy statement saying such claims violate international law and"pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas."
The Paracels are a collection of 130 small coral islands and reefs in the northwestern part of the South China Sea. They have no indigenous population to speak of, only Chinese military garrisons amounting to 1,400 people, according to the CIA Factbook. Asserting freedom of navigation rights involves sailing within the 12-mile territorial limit from a nation's coastline recognized by international law.
"International law does not permit continental States, like the PRC , to establish baselines around entire dispersed island groups," the US statement said.
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