Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in this still image from video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft provided by the United States Navy May 21, 2015. PHOTO: REUTERS
James Kraska, Asia Maritime Transparency Initiaitve -- The Legal Rationale For Going Inside 12
While China conducts innocent passage around real U.S. islands of Alaska, the U.S. is apparently unable to do so around China’s fake islands in the South China Sea. The transit by Chinese warships in innocent passage through the territorial sea of Attu Island in the Aleutian chain has added an additional wrinkle to U.S. policy in the South China Sea.
On May 12, the Wall Street Journal reported that Secretary of Defense Ash Carter had asked his staff to “look at options” for exercising the rights and freedom of navigation and overflight in the EEZ, to include flying maritime patrol aircraft over China’s new artificial islands in the region, and sending U.S. warships to within 12 nautical miles of them. Later that month, a P-8 surveillance aircraft with a CNN crew on board, was repeatedly warned to “go away quickly” from Fiery Cross Reef, even as it flew beyond 12 nm from the feature. Fiery Cross Reef is a Chinese-occupied outcropping that has been fortified by a massive 2.7 million square meter land reclamation into an artificial island with a 3,110-meter airstrip and harbor works capable of servicing large warships.
WNU editor: If the Chinese have no problems doing it .... Confirmed: Chinese Navy Entered US Territorial Waters off Alaska (The Diplomat) .... my suggestion is that the U.S. do the same thing even though the Chinese have alrady warned the U.S. Navy not to do so .... China cautions U.S. Navy on patrols in South China Sea (CNN). But with Chinese President Xi about to come to Washington on a state visit .... I doubt that the U.S. is going to do anything to jeopardize this meeting ... at least for the next month.
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