US: It’s OK on China aircraft carrier drill

WASHINGTON—The United States says China has the right to sail in international waters after a Chinese aircraft carrier cruised past Taiwan and into the contested South China Sea.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry reported on Monday that the aircraft carrier and five warships sailed 90 nautical miles south of Taiwan, a self-governing island claimed by China.

Beijing says it is a routine training exercise.

China has previously accused US warships of making provoca- tive passes through the South China Sea.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Tuesday the US recognizes lawful uses of the sea, and the same rights apply to the US, China and other nations.

He said, “as we often make the case with our own naval vessels sailing ... in those same waters, it’s freedom of navigation.”

Earlier this month, a Chinese navy vessel seized an US Navy underwater glider that the US said was conducting oceanic research in international waters off the Philippines.

The US called the seizure illegal and made a diplomatic protest. China returned the glider five days later.

Beijing claims most of the South China Sea.

Five other Asian governments also claim ownership of islands and reefs there.

The Taiwanese ministry said the Liaoning and warships had on Sunday sailed 90 nautical miles south of Taiwan in the Bashi Channel, a waterway between Taiwan and the Philippines.

Tensions have mounted in the South China Sea, where the US and China accuse each other of engaging in a dangerous military buildup.

China claims nearly all of the sea and is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons.

The US-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative think tank said this month that satellite imagery showed China building large anti-aircraft guns on artificial islands in the contested waters, where China has also laid airstrips, built communications facilities and deployed suspected missiles.

China has characterized its moves as defensive in nature and accused US warships of making provocative passes through the region.

The Liaoning, commissioned by the Chinese navy in 2012, first sailed to the South China Sea in 2013, when it docked at a navy base near the Chinese holiday resort of Sanya.

The vessel at the time was not outfitted with a full aircraft complement.