Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 19 February 2018

US Navy says China's military buildup won't stop patrols

By JIM GOMEZ and in the air in the region
ABOARD USS CARL VIN- for 70 years to promote se-
SON, Philippines (AP) — curity and guarantee the
U.S. forces are undeterred unimpeded flow of trade
by China's military buildup that's crucial for Asian and
on man-made islands in U.S. economies.
the South China Sea and "International law allows us
will continue patrolling the to operate here, allows us
strategic, disputed waters to fly here, allows us to train
wherever "international law here, allows us to sail here,
allows us," said a Navy of- and that's what we're doing
ficer aboard a mammoth and we're going to contin-
U.S. aircraft carrier brim- ue to do that," Hawkins said
ming with F-18 fighter jets. Saturday on the flight deck
Lt. Cmdr. Tim Hawkins told of the 95,000-ton warship,
The Associated Press on which anchored at Manila
board the USS Carl Vinson Bay while on a visit to the
that the Navy has carried Philippines.
out routine patrols at sea When President Donald

A U.S. Marine stands guard on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier anchors off Ma-
nila, Philippines, for a five-day port call along with guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy,
Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. Lt. Cmdr. Tim Hawkins told The Associated Press that American forces will
continue to patrol the South China Sea wherever international law allows when asked if China's
newly built islands could restrain them in the disputed waters.
(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Trump came to power, The Trump administration course with China's inter-
Southeast Asian officials has outlined a new security ests.
were uncertain how deep strategy that emphasized In January, China accused
the U.S. would get involved countering China's rise and the U.S. of trespassing when
in the overlapping territorial reinforcing the U.S. pres- the U.S. guided missile de-
claims involving China and ence in the Indo-Pacific stroyer USS Hopper sailed
its Southeast Asian neigh- region, where Beijing and near the Chinese-guarded
bors. Trump's predecessor, Washington have accused Scarborough Shoal, which
Barack Obama, was a vo- each other of stoking a Beijing wrestled from the
cal critic of China's increas- dangerous military buildup Philippines in 2012, despite
ingly aggressive actions, in- and fought for wider influ- its proximity to the main
cluding the construction of ence. northern island of Luzon. Af-
seven man-made islands Washington stakes no ter voicing a strong protest,
equipped with troops, claims in the disputes but China said it would take
hangers, radar and missile has declared that their “necessary measures” to
stations and three long run- peaceful resolution and protect its sovereignty. The
ways. the maintenance of free- nuclear-powered Carl Vin-
China claims the South Chi- dom of navigation are in son patrolled the sea prior
na Sea almost in its entirety its national interest. U.S. of- to its Manila visit but did not
and has challenged the ficials have said American conduct a freedom of nav-
U.S. naval supremacy in the warships will continue sail- igation operation, Hawkins
western Pacific. ing close to Chinese-occu- said. “That’s not to say that
"We're committed," pied features without prior we won’t or we can’t, but
Hawkins told reporters. notice, placing Washing- we have not, up to this
"We're here." ton in a continuing collision point,” he said. q