US Destroyers Sail Close to Chinese-Controlled Islands

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEp1MhM2D3k]

• Published on Jul 7, 2016
  The US navy says its destroyers have been sailing close to Chinese-controlled islands in the South China Sea in recent weeks. The patrols have been conducted within 25 to 37 kilometers of Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands near the Philippines. Washington described the patrols as a routine presence. Earlier on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told US Secretary of State John Kerry that Washington must not meddle in Beijing’s territorial disputes. He said the US must do nothing to harm China’s sovereignty. Tensions have been rising ahead of a July 12 ruling by the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Beijing has rejected the court’s jurisdiction concerning a case brought by the Philippines against China’s claims to the majority of the South China Sea.

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