China’s naval commander told his US counterpart there is a risk of “a minor incident that sparks war” if the US continues with its “provocative acts” in the South China Sea, the Chinese navy said yesterday.
Admiral Wu Shengli made the comments to US chief of naval operations Admiral John Richardson during a video teleconference, according to a Chinese statement.
The two officers held talks after a US warship, the USS Lassen, challenged China’s territorial assertions in the South China Sea on Tuesday by sailing within 12 nautical miles of one of Beijing’s man-made islands in the Spratly archipelago.
“If the United States continues with these kinds of dangerous, provocative acts, there could well be a seriously pressing situation between frontline forces from both sides on the sea and in the air, or even a minor incident that sparks war,” the statement paraphrased Mr Wu as saying.
“I hope the US side cherishes the good situation between the Chinese and US navies that has not come easily and avoids these kinds of incidents from happening again,” Mr Wu said. Speaking earlier, a US official said the naval chiefs agreed to maintain dialogue and follow protocols to avoid clashes.
Both officers also agreed on the need to stick to protocols established under the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES).
“They agreed that it’s very important that both sides continue to use the protocols under the CUES agreement when they’re operating close to keep the chances for misunderstanding and any kind of provocation from occurring,” said the official.
Beijing has rebuked Washington for sending a guided-missile destroyer close to Subi Reef.
A US Navy spokesman stressed Washington’s position that US freedom of navigation operations were meant to “protect the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law”.
The US patrol on Tuesday was the most significant US challenge yet to territorial limits China claims around its artificial islands in one of the world’s busiest sea lanes.
Meanwhile, yesterday, the European Union sided with Washington over the US-Chinese patrolling incident in the South China Sea, in a move that may affect Brussels’ discussions with Beijing at next week’s Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of Foreign Affairs Ministers.
“The US are exercising their freedom of navigation,” a senior EU official said at a briefing, chiming with the US line.
The EU is concerned about Beijing’s plans to build new islands in contested waters, the EU official said, a statement that may be welcomed by other Asian nations opposing China’s claims to almost the entire South China Sea.
Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei contest China’s sovereignty over parts of one of the world’s busiest sea lanes.