The commander of US forces in the Pacific, Admiral Harry Harris said, the United States should challenge China’s claim to territory in the South China Sea by patrolling close to artificial islands built by Beijing.
Harris, when pressed by members the Senate Armed Services Committee on whether US forces should challenge China by sailing within 12 nautical miles of the islands, replied: “I believe that we should exercise - be allowed to exercise, freedom of navigation and flight - maritime and flight - in the South China Sea against those islands that are not islands.”
On Tuesday, a US expert said China was carrying out land reclamation in the South China Sea this month, more than four weeks after saying it had stopped such activity, citing recent satellite images.
China’s position on the US plan.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China was “extremely concerned” about the comments and China opposed “any country challenging China’s sovereignty and security in the name of protecting freedom of navigation.”
A confrontation could possibly flare up any time. China is ready to protect and defend their territory in the South China sea at all cost, once US pushed its plan. US expert said.
Meanwhile, a very timely outcome that Japan’s parliament early Saturday gave final approval to legislation expanding the overseas role of the country’s military, the new laws will give the government power to use the military in overseas conflicts even if Japan itself isn’t under attack.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that will make possible a closer alliance with the U.S. in cases such as a war on the Korean peninsula or a blockage of the sea lanes that threatened Japan’s security.
Abe told in a interview that “If you put the power of the U.S. Navy and Japan’s maritime self-defense forces together, then one plus one will finally become two.”
He said, for example, that Japan would be able to help protect a U.S. destroyer in the region even if the destroyer wasn’t in Japanese waters.
Some netizens are asking about what could be the outcome if the United States with the backing of Japan, Australia, Canada, India and its smaller allies insist its plan to go near the China’s artificial island in the West Philippine sea, is that mean a signal of a 3rd world war?
By: Jason E.
