US says open to patrols with Philippines in waters disputed with China
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MANILA - The United States is open to the possibility of joint naval patrols with the Philippines in the South China Sea, a US diplomat said on Wednesday, stressing it would continue to exercise "freedom of navigation" in the disputed waters.
China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of world trade is shipped every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims.
A US Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of an island claimed by China in the South China Sea on Saturday to counter efforts to limit freedom of navigation, the Pentagon said, prompting an angry reaction from Beijing.
Manila has asked the US to patrol the area together after China began test flights from Fiery Cross Reef, one of three artificial islands where Beijing has built airfields.
"We do discuss that principle (joint patrols) with the Philippines and so I am not discarding that possibility," US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg told reporters.
"But we are not going to make announcements about that beforehand because it is our view that we have every right under international law to exercise freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and we will continue to do so."
- Reuters
