US Battleship Challenge China In The South China Sea

Thursday, May 25, 2017 - 10:45 pm US warship USS Dewey reportedly violated the Spratly Islands region, South China Sea, which China claimed, Wednesday (24/05/2017). [Photo / Facebook / Commander, US Third Fleet]

WWIII - US based missile ship USS Dewey challenged China desperately to sail near the Spratly Islands, South China Sea, which Beijing claims. The ship is only 12 nautical miles from the disputed islands. "US warships passed near the Mischief Reef on the Spratly Islands on Wednesday under the principle of' Freedom of Navigation'," US government sources told the Wall Street Journal and Reuters on Thursday (5/25/2017).

The reckless action of the USS Dewey warship that sailed within 12 nautical miles of the Chinese-claimed archipelago meant Washington dared to violate China's territorial claims. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, territorial waters are defined as coastal waters belts stretching 12 nautical miles from shore.

The freedom of navigation by US warships by breaching the Chinese-claimed territory of islands was the first by the Washington military since October and the first since Donald Trump served as US president in January 2017.

In a statement to The Japan Times, the Pentagon did not confirm or deny the report. The Wall Street Journal also failed to get a definite answer from the Pentagon. "We operate in the Asia Pacific region every day, including in the South China Sea," Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said in a statement.

"We operate in accordance with international law," Davis said, stressing that US patrols are not about one country. Although the Pentagon was reluctant to confirm the report, the photos published on Facebook's "Commander, US Third Fleet" Facebook page indicate that the US ship was sailing in disputed waters. "USS Dewey (DDG 105) transits in the South China Sea before refueling (fuel) at sea with USNS Pecos (T-AO-197)," the caption said.

Beijing has claimed almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea region. The disputed area generates $ 5 trillion annually from the world's shipwreck traffic. In addition to China, some countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and Taiwan also have overlapping claims in the region.