US warships close to disputed islands

Two US warships sailed near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on Monday, a US official told reporters, a move likely to anger Beijing at a time of tense relations between the world’s two biggest economies.

Beijing and Washington are locked in a trade war and the two sides are trying to hammer out a deal ahead of a March 1 deadline when US tariffs on $200bn (R2.75 trillion) worth of Chinese imports are to increase to 25% from 10%. Escalating tensions between the United States and China have cost both countries billions of dollars and roiled global financial markets.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the two guided-missile destroyers traveled within 12 nautical miles (22.2km) of Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands.

The operation was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as Beijing’s efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters, where Chinese, Japanese and some Southeast Asian navies operate.

China claims almost all of the strategic South China Sea and frequently lambasts the United States and its allies over naval operations near Chinese-occupied islands.

China and the US have repeatedly traded barbs in the past over what Washington says is Beijing’s militarisation of the South China Sea by building military installations on artificial islands and reefs.

China defends its construction as necessary for self-defence, and says it is the US that is responsible for ratcheting up tensions in the region by sending warships and military planes close to islands that Beijing claims. –