Washington, Beijing jockeying heats up in S. China Sea

Left, U.S. Navy Photo/Mahlon K. Miller

Simmering tensions over the South China Sea flared after U.S. officials said satellite photos, right, showed the Chinese government had stationed surface-to-air missiles on the beach of one of the Paracel Islands, which are controlled by Beijing but also claimed by the governments of Vietnam and Taiwan. “China has been deploying national-defense facilities” on the islands for decades, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei responded Feb. 18.

Over the recent period the U.S. military has carried out a series of provocative moves against Chinese-controlled territory in the region. On Jan. 29, navy destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur, left, sailed within 12 nautical miles of the Paracels, just days after Secretary of State John Kerry visited Beijing for talks with Chinese leaders. The previous month a B-52 bomber flew within 2 nautical miles of a reef in the Spratlys, in what the Pentagon claimed was an error.

The U.S. Navy’s supremacy over the South China Sea — with its vital trade routes, potential energy reserves and proximity to allies and rivals — was among Washington’s most cherished spoils in its bloody victory in World War II. The rulers in China are seeking a political and military role in the region commensurate with their economic strength and increasingly pose a challenge to U.S. imperialism in the region.

— EMMA JOHNSON