China on Monday accused the San Diego-based warship USS Gabrielle Giffords of violating its “sovereignty and security” by sailing near a submerged reef in the South China Sea.
The littoral combat ship “illegally broke into the waters adjacent to Ren’ai Reef in China’s Nansha Islands (on Monday) without the approval of the Chinese government,” according to a statement by China’s Southern Theater Command.
“The United States has deliberately disrupted the South China Sea, seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security, severely undermined regional peace and stability, and seriously violated international law and basic norms governing international relations.”
The Navy quickly disagreed.
The ship “was conducting routine operations in international waters in the South China Sea, consistent with international law,” Cmdr. Megan Greene, a public affairs officer for U.S. 7th Fleet in Yokosuka, Japan, told the San Diego Union-Tribune.
“These operations demonstrate we are committed to upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific region where all nations, large and small, are security in their sovereignty, can resole disputes without coercion, and have the freedom to navigate and fly consistent with international laws, rules and norms.”
The incident comes less than three weeks after President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping appeared to make progress in easing tensions between the two countries when they met at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference near San Francisco.
Biden said his meetings with Xi represented “some of the most constructive and productive discussions we’ve had.”
China and the U.S. are at odds on several matters, including marine traffic in the South China Sea. The U.S. has repeatedly said it has the right to operate in international waters in the region where the Gabrielle Giffords sailed on Monday, and will oppose any attempt by China to interfere.
Biden also has said that the U.S. will defend Taiwan if China proceeds with its threaten to invade that island, which it considers to be part of China.
The Gabrielle Giffords is a lightly-armed, high-speed ship that was designed to perform a variety of missions, including maritime security.
A report by the General Accountability Office raised questions about the ability of littoral combat ships to defend themselves if it was attacked.
