Exclusive: U.S. warship sails near islands Beijing claims in South China Sea - U.S. officials
▻https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-military-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-warship-sails-near-disputed-island-in-south-china-sea-u-s-off
PHILIPPINE SEA (June 29, 2015) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90) transits the Philippine Sea. Chafee is on patrol in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ricardo R. Guzman/Released
L’illustration de Reuters, plus ancienne, est ainsi légendée :
USS Chafee, a US Navy destroyer which operates 100 percent on biofuel, sails about 150 miles (241 km) north of the island of Oahu during the RIMPAC Naval exercises off Hawaii July 18,2012.
Nous sommes donc en présence d’un vrai #destroyer_bio…
A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on Tuesday, three U.S. officials told Reuters, prompting anger in Beijing, even as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks Chinese cooperation in reining in North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs.
The operation was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijing’s efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters. But it was not as provocative as previous ones carried out since Trump took office in January.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Chafee, a guided-missile destroyer, carried out normal maneuvering operations that challenged “excessive maritime claims” near the Paracel Islands, among a string of islets, reefs and shoals over which China has territorial disputes with its neighbors.
[…]
Unlike in August, when a U.S. Navy destroyer came within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built up by China in the South China Sea, officials said the destroyer on Tuesday sailed close to but not within that range of the islands.
#Mer_de_Chine_méridionale #Paracels
Pour mémoire, le précédent d’août était accompli par l’USS John S McCain, de la même classe Arleigh-Burke, dont il a été depuis abondamment question par ailleurs…