{"id":17638,"date":"2018-02-17T15:18:55","date_gmt":"2018-02-17T15:18:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/02\/17\/navy-says-it-wont-be-deterred-by-chinese-built-islands\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:07:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:07:55","slug":"navy-says-it-wont-be-deterred-by-chinese-built-islands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/2018\/02\/17\/navy-says-it-wont-be-deterred-by-chinese-built-islands\/","title":{"rendered":"Navy says it won’t be deterred by Chinese-built islands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ABOARD USS CARL VINSON, Philippines \u2014 A Navy officer aboard a mammoth U.S. aircraft carrier brimming with F18 fighter jets said Saturday that American forces would continue to patrol the South China Sea wherever \u201cinternational law allows us\u201d when asked if China\u2019s newly built islands <\/a>could restrain them in the disputed waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lt. Cmdr. Tim Hawkins told The Associated Press on board the USS Carl Vinson that the Navy has carried out routine patrols at sea and on air in the strategic waters for 70 years to promote regional security and guarantee the unimpeded flow of trade that\u2019s crucial for Asian and U.S. economies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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U.S. military aircraft sit on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier anchors off Manila, Philippines, for a five-day port call along with guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. U.S. Lt. Cmdr. Tim Hawkins told The Associated Press that American forces will continue to patrol the South China Sea wherever international law allows when asked if China’s newly built islands could restrain them in the disputed waters. (Bullit Marquez\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInternational law allows us to operate here, allows us to fly here, allows us to train here, allows us to sail here, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re doing and we\u2019re going to continue to do that,\u201d Hawkins said on the flight deck of the 95,000-ton warship, which anchored at Manila Bay while on a visit to the Philippines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When President Donald Trump came to power, Southeast Asian officials were uncertain how deep the U.S. would get involved in the issues in the South China Sea, where his predecessor, Barack Obama, was a vocal critic of China\u2019s increasingly aggressive actions to assert its territorial claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\t