China / U.S. Standoff?
SHANGHAI — China’s foreign minister warned the U.S. Tuesday to think again and not stir up trouble, as a U.S. naval vessel sailed close to islands claimed by China in the South China Sea. On Monday, the U.S. State Department confirmed that the guided missile destroyer USS Lassen was sailing toward the islands, in disputed waters in the South China Sea, and planned to sail within the 12-nautical-mile limit in what China says are its territorial waters. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was quoted by Chinese media Tuesday as saying Beijing was studying the reports. If they were true, he said, “We advise the U.S. to think again very carefully, not to act lightly and not to stir up trouble where there is none.” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivers a speech during the international seminar commemorating the 10th anniversary of the September 19 joint statement of six-party talks at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China on Sept. 19, 2015. Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon U.S. officials have said for several weeks that they would deploy ships in the area, as part of the “Freedom of Navigation Operation” designed to challenge China’s territorial claims by demonstrating that the sea around the islands is international waters. A State Department spokesman said the U.S. had not informed China in advance, the New York Times reported. “You don’t need to consult with any nation when you are exercising the right of freedom of navigation in international waters,” spokesman John Kirby told a news conference.…