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China says US naval vessel violated laws
Beijing (AFP) May 6, 2009 China said Wednesday a US naval vessel involved in an incident with Chinese fishing boats in the Yellow Sea had violated maritime law, and urged the United States to take steps to avoid a repetition. The incident followed two tense standoffs between US and Chinese vessels in the South China Sea in March, which triggered accusations by the United States that China was behaving in an "aggressive" manner. "The US surveillance vessel USNS Victorious violated relevant international laws and Chinese laws and regulations by entering into China's exclusive economic zone in the Yellow Sea without China's approval," the Chinese foreign ministry said. "The Chinese side expresses its concern and has demanded that the US side take measures to avoid similar events from happening again," the ministry said in a statement on its website. The comments came a day after the Pentagon accused Chinese fishing boats of engaging in "dangerous" manoeuvres Friday near the US Navy ship in what it said were international waters off the mainland. The Chinese foreign ministry said that it managed the movement of ships inside its exclusive economic zone in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as well as its own regulations. A nation's exclusive economic zone stretches 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) into the sea from its coastline and is an area in which it enjoys special rights to explore marine resources. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Tuesday a pair of Chinese vessels had approached the Victorious, which he said was engaged in "routine operations," and forced the US vessel into defensive measures. "It is unsafe and dangerous behaviour and it needs to be addressed" diplomatically, Whitman said of the incident, which he described as having taken place 70 miles (113 kilometers) off the coast of China. Washington and Beijing had already been at odds over high-seas standoffs in early March between Chinese boats and the Victorious, as well as another unarmed surveillance vessel, the USNS Impeccable. Chinese military chiefs believe the Impeccable was on a spying mission, state media reported, and Beijing has demanded the United States cease what it calls illegal activities in the South China Sea. Admiral Timothy Keating, head of the US Pacific Command, said in March the Impeccable incident showed that China's "behaviour as a responsible stakeholder has yet to be consistently demonstrated." "The Impeccable incident is certainly a troubling indicator that China, particularly in the South China Sea, is behaving in an aggressive, troublesome manner and (is) not willing to abide by acceptable standards of behaviour or rules of the road," he told a Senate hearing. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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