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| Image: Flickr User - Greg Bishop |
The decision by the United States to routinely venture into disputed waters claimed by China to be its sovereign territory could force Beijing to alter its strategy in the South China Sea, says Duowei News, a US-based Chinese news outlet.
On Oct. 20, US President Barack Obama authorized the US Pacific Command to send warships into the South China Sea, most of which is claimed by China. On Tuesday, the USS Lassen "conducted a transit" within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef in the Spratly archipelago. The USS Theodore Roosevelt was also sent to monitor the mission.
US officials noted that the US vessel would have been in an area considered Chinese sovereign territory if the US recognized the islands as belonging to China.
Read the full story at Want China Times