White House Has Prohibited The U.S. Navy From Sailing With 12 Miles Of Disputed Chinese-Built Islands In The South China Sea

An aerial photo taken though a glass window of a Philippine military plane shows the alleged on-going land reclamation by China on mischief reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, May 11, 2015. Reuters/Ritchie B. Tongo

USNI News: U.S. Weighing More Freedom of Navigation Operations in South China Sea Near Reclaimed Islands

The Obama administration is considering conducting more freedom of navigation missions in the South China Sea as a partial counter to China’s rapid artificial island expansion in the region, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs told a Senate panel on Thursday.

Within the last year, China has rapidly expanded small outcrops in the Spratly and Paracel islands and built facilities that could easily be militarized and shift the balance of power in the region.

“Preventing the Chinese from further militarizing those features a range of options — inducing freedom of navigation exercisers — and we’re considering those options now,” David Shear told the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC).

WNU Editor: The key section of this USNI post is the following ....

.... SASC Chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) asked Shear and Harris if the U.S. — which doesn’t recognize Chinese sovereignty of the reclaimed islands — had come within the 12 nautical miles of the new installations.

Under the U.N. Law of the Sea Convention — which the U.S. has not ratified but follows — a country’s territorial waters begin at 12 nautical miles away from shore.

“If you respect the 12 [nautical] mile limit then it’s a de facto sovereignty, agreed to by the Chinese,” he said.

Shear told the panel the last time a U.S. warship passed within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese claimed artificial island was in 2013 and that it was up to the White House to authorize additional passes.

In other-words it is only the White House that has the authority to tell the U.S. navy to sail within the 12 [nautical] mile limit of a Chinese claimed artificial island .... but they have chosen since 2013 not to do so. Why is this significant .... aside from all the talk of maybe conducting some "freedom of navigation operations" in the future, this U.S. decision to not enter the disputed zone is essentially telling the region that the U.S. made a decision in 2013 to respect Chinese claims and to give it de facto sovereignty. No wonder our allies in Asia are growing concern over U.S. national security commitments and promises when it comes to China .... they are spotting the contradictions. On a side note .... when China started to give problems to President Clinton when he was in office, he sent an entire carrier group to the waters between China and Taiwan.

Update: Obama Blocks Navy from Sailing Near Disputed Chinese Islands -- Washington Free Beacon