US 7th fleet conducts freedom of navigation ops near Spratlys

The US guided-missile destroyer USS Milius on Monday conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands.

In a statement, the US 7th Fleet said the "normal operations" were within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef.

"By engaging in normal operations within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef, the United States demonstrated that vessels can lawfully exercise high-seas freedoms in those areas," the fleet said.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea despite the 2016 arbitral ruling which invalidated its historical claims.

The tribunal upheld the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

"Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas, including the freedoms of navigation and overflight, free trade and unimpeded commerce, and freedom of economic opportunity for South China Sea littoral nations," the US fleet added.

China's military called the USS Milius' operation "illegal."

"The guided-missile destroyer USS Milius on April 10 illegally trespassed into the waters adjacent to the Meiji Jiao of China's Nansha Islands without the approval of the Chinese government," read a statement on the Chinese military's website.

"The naval and air forces of the Chinese PLA Southern Theater Command conducted tracking and monitoring on the US destroyer and remained alert in the whole course," said Air Force Senior Colonel Tian Junli, the spokesperson for the Chinese PLA Southern Theater Command.

"China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters," he added. "The troops of the PLA Southern Theater Command will always stay on high alert and resolutely safeguard China's national sovereignty and security, as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea." —NB, GMA Integrated News