US Admiral Says China Diverts Ships at S China Sea

choi

(1) Jane Perlez, 美国海军司令暗指中国破坏南海安全. 纽约时报中文网, Dec 16, 2015
cn.nytimes.com/asia-pacific/20151216/c16china/

, which is translated from

Jane Perlez, US Admiral Assails China's Actions at Sea. New York Times, Dec 16, 2015.

Quote:

"A senior American naval commander has implicitly accused China of creating 'so-called military zones' close to artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea

"In a speech [at  Cooperative Strategy Forum, which has no website of its own or Wiki page] in Honolulu on Monday, the commander, Adm Scott H. Swift of the United States Pacific Fleet, said commercial ships that had previously sailed freely through international shipping lanes were being diverted from areas deemed to be too close to the artificial islands built by the Chinese in the Spratly archipelago.  Admiral Swift * * * said that routine commercial and military operations in the South China Sea had become subject to warnings, interrupting the freedom of navigation, as well as air rights, to such an extent that the 'unilateral assertiveness' was becoming a trend that was 'unacceptable.'

"Although Admiral Swift did not say as much, it was clear he was referring to China.

"By mentioning 'so-called military zones,' he was offering a counterpoint to an assertion by President Xi Jinping of China during a visit to Washington in September that China did 'not intend to pursue militarization' of islands in the South China Sea.

"The admiral’s speech [was] delivered to a regional security forum * * * Officials from China were invited to the forum but did not attend, a Pacific Fleet official said.

My comment: There is no need to read the rest of the report.

choi

(2)
(a) Australia Conducting 'Freedom of Navigation' Flights in South China Sea. BBC, Dec 14, 2015.
(b) Matthew Doran and Bill Birtles, 'It Would Be Shame If a Plane Fell from the Sky': China's Warning to RAAF Over South China Sea Flights. ABC Australia, Dec 16, 2015
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015- ... e-shot-down/7034664
("The editorial in the Chinese language edition of The Global Times")