{"id":62614,"date":"2020-07-14T17:14:01","date_gmt":"2020-07-14T17:14:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/07\/14\/us-warship-sails-contested-waters-in-south-china-sea-after-white-house-rejects-chinas-maritime-claims-there\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:49:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:49:41","slug":"us-warship-sails-contested-waters-in-south-china-sea-after-white-house-rejects-chinas-maritime-claims-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/07\/14\/us-warship-sails-contested-waters-in-south-china-sea-after-white-house-rejects-chinas-maritime-claims-there\/","title":{"rendered":"US warship sails contested waters in South China Sea after White House rejects China\u2019s maritime claims there"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A day after the White House announced it would reject <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/07\/13\/us-to-reject-nearly-all-chinese-claims-in-south-china-sea\/\" target=_blank>nearly all of China\u2019s maritime claims<\/a> in the South China Sea, the U.S. warship <a href=\"https:\/\/www.public.navy.mil\/surfor\/ddg114\/Pages\/default.aspx\" target=_blank>Ralph Johnson<\/a> steamed through the contested waters Tuesday, according to U.S. 7th Fleet officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The guided-missile destroyer navigated near the <a href=\"https:\/\/amti.csis.org\/island-tracker\/china\/#Spratly%20Islands\" target=_blank>Spratly Islands<\/a>, a network of islands and man-made atolls created by Beijing in recent years and militarily fortified to bolster China\u2019s claims that such territory is theirs, not international waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the United States and other western powers continue to contend the busy waters are international, resulting in displays like the Ralph Johnson freedom of navigation operation, known in mil-speak as a FONOP.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/07\/13\/us-to-reject-nearly-all-chinese-claims-in-south-china-sea\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/50083340182_2b7366a62f_k.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US rejects nearly all Chinese claims in South China Sea<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Trump administration escalated its actions against China on Monday by stepping squarely into one of the most sensitive regional issues dividing them and rejecting outright nearly all of Beijing\u2019s significant maritime claims in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement, the Navy\u2019s Japan-based U.S. 7th Fleet said Tuesday\u2019s FONOP \u201cupheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law by challenging the restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several of the Spratlys are claimed by countries abutting the South China Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs long as some countries continue to claim and assert limits on rights that exceed their authority under international law, the United States will continue to defend the rights and freedoms of the sea guaranteed to all,\u201d 7th Fleet said. \u201cNo member of the international community should be intimidated or coerced into giving up their rights and freedoms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. policy has previously called for maritime disputes between Beijing and its neighbors to be resolved peacefully through international arbitration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that the United States now sees virtually all Chinese maritime claims outside its internationally recognized waters to be illegitimate, the Associated Press reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/07\/06\/two-us-aircraft-carriers-are-operating-in-the-south-china-sea-air-force-b-52-joins-them\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/B-52.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Two US aircraft carriers are operating in the South China Sea; Air Force B-52 joins them<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The carrier strike force was joined by an Air Force B-52 long-range bomber from Barksdale Air Force Base&#039;s 2nd Bomb Wing.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire,\u201d Pompeo said, according to the AP. \u201cAmerica stands with our Southeast Asian allies and partners in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources, consistent with their rights and obligations under international law. We stand with the international community in defense of freedom of the seas and respect for sovereignty and reject any push to impose \u2018might makes right\u2019 in the South China Sea or the wider region.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Monday\u2019s change to U.S. policy in the South China Sea comes after two carrier strike groups joined by an Air Force B-52 bomber operated together in those contentious waters earlier this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those movements prompted outrage from Beijing and veiled threats in reference to the country\u2019s so-called \u201ccarrier killer\u201d missiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tensions between Washington and Beijing continue at a heightened state over several other issues, including the coronavirus pandemic, China\u2019s policy in Hong Kong and Tibet, trade and human rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">China accused the U.S. on Tuesday of trying to sow discord between China and the Southeast Asian countries with which it has long-standing territorial disputes in waters that are both a vital international shipping lane and home to valuable fisheries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe United States is not a country directly involved in the disputes. However, it has kept interfering in the issue,\u201d the Chinese Embassy in Washington said on its website. \u201cUnder the pretext of preserving stability, it is flexing muscles, stirring up tension and inciting confrontation in the region.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other governments avoided direct comment on the U.S. announcement. The Philippine presidential spokesperson, Harry Roque, noted that the two powers would woo his country as they escalate their rivalry, but \u201cwhat is important now is to prioritize the implementation and crafting of a code of conduct to prevent tension in that area.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">James Chin, head of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania in Australia, said the U.S. stance was nothing new because it has always rejected China\u2019s \u201cnine-dash line,\u201d as its claim to the South China Sea is known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat is new is that Trump has sort of made the South China Sea a new focus point for his confrontation with China,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both Indonesia and the Philippines joined Pompeo in calling on China to abide by an international arbitration court ruling in 2016 that disqualified many of China\u2019s claims. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Malaysia\u2019s foreign ministry declined to comment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian reiterated China\u2019s position that it has had effective jurisdiction over the islands, reefs and waters of the South China Sea for more than 1,000 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said at a daily briefing Tuesday that China is not seeking to build a maritime empire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3OlZ_5QHnq8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen title=\"Try to look away from these Chinese troops doing a dramatic slow turn\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">And yet, there they are. Two <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/USNavy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@USNavy<\/a> aircraft carriers operating in the international waters of the South China Sea. <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/USSNimitz?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#USSNimitz<\/a> &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/USSRonaldReagan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#USSRonaldReagan<\/a> are not intimidated <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/AtOurDiscretion?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AtOurDiscretion<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QGTggRjOul\">https:\/\/t.co\/QGTggRjOul<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Navy Chief of Information (@chinfo) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/chinfo\/status\/1279779741415833601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 5, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The guided-missile destroyer Ralph Johnson steamed near the disputed Spratly Islands Tuesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":70027,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":10,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[10,29,116,117,15,88],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3487],"class_list":["post-62614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-left-column","category-middle-column","category-news","category-your-military"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"IN7Z7DET3NDHJEZXF3XTZXS7AA","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/07\/14\/us-warship-sails-contested-waters-in-south-china-sea-after-white-house-rejects-chinas-maritime-claims-there\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US warship sails contested waters in South China Sea after White House rejects China\u2019s maritime claims there - Military Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The guided-missile destroyer Ralph Johnson steamed near the disputed Spratly Islands Tuesday.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US warship sails contested waters in South China Sea after White House rejects China\u2019s maritime claims there\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The guided-missile destroyer Ralph Johnson steamed near the disputed Spratly Islands Tuesday.\" \/>\n<meta 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