Alwaght- China has censured the United States over its interference in other countries’ affairs saying Washington's military policies reveal its hegemonic logic towards international maritime order.
We regard the so-called 'freedom of navigation' operations as the violent means by which the US promotes its unilateral claims,” Hua Chunying, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said as cited by CCTV. She went on to add that the actions of the American military reveal “the hegemonic logic of the US towards international maritime order.”
“We hope the US can respect the sovereignty and security of other countries and contribute more to safeguard international maritime order and regional peace and stability," Hua Chunying said.
The US Defense Department carried out multiple ‘freedom of navigation’ operations against 13 countries between October 1, 2014 and September 30, 2015, according to an annual report released by the Pentagon on Monday.
Besides China, American targets included India, Indonesia, Iran, Libya, Malaysia, the Maldives, Oman, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The Pentagon sent its warships and planes to the South and East China seas where Beijing is conducting island reclamation activity.
The Americans challenged Chinese jurisdiction in the airspace above its maritime Exclusive Economic Zone, as well as the restrictions Beijing tried to impose on aircraft flying through an Air Defense Identification Zone off the Chinese coast, the report said.
In 2014, the US disputed territorial claims of 18 countries, including India, China and Brazil.
Freedom of navigation is a principle of international law, according to which ships flying the flag of any sovereign state shall not suffer interference from other states.
It is codified in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea from 1982, which the US signed, but failed to ratify.
The South China Sea has been witnessing rising tensions fueled by United States hegemonic policies apparently aimed at preventing the meteoric rise of China as a counterbalance in the region and globally.
The US has spared no efforts to flex its muscle in the Asia-Pacific, in a bid to show its global hegemony that is already waning nowadays.
The Chinese Nansha Islands in the South China Sea are rich in deposits of natural resources and also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The US Navy is actively opposing Chinese sovereignty over the Islands by deploying additional warships to the disputed zone and conducting maneuvers in near the Chinese artificial islands and flying over them, citing the “freedom of navigation "principle as an excuse.
China has said it is determined and able to continue to safeguard its justified rights and interests of the Nansha Islands by legitimate means.
