UPDATE 6-U.S. warship sails near South China Sea islands claimed by China

(Adds Chinese Defense Ministry comment on denied port visit)
By Idrees Ali
WASHINGTON, Aug 28 (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed
near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on
Wednesday, the U.S. military said, a move that Beijing condemned
as an illegal attempt by Washington at "maritime hegemony".
The busy waterway is one of a growing number of flashpoints
in the U.S.-Chinese relationship, which include an escalating
trade war, American sanctions on China's military, and U.S.
relations with Taiwan.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that China had denied a request
for a U.S. Navy warship to visit the port city of Qingdao.
The U.S. Navy vessel Wayne E. Meyer, an Arleigh Burke-class
guided missile destroyer, carried out the operation, traveling
within 12 nautical miles (14 miles/22 km) of Fiery Cross and
Mischief Reefs, Commander Reann Mommsen, a spokeswoman for the
Japan-based U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet, said.
The operation was conducted "to challenge excessive maritime
claims and preserve access to the waterways as governed by
international law," Mommsen said.
The U.S. military operation comes amid an increasingly
bitter trade war between China and the United States that
sharply escalated on Friday, with both sides leveling more
tariffs on each other's exports.
The U.S. military has a long-standing position that its
operations are carried out worldwide, including in areas claimed
by allies, and are separate from political considerations.
Chinese military spokesman Li Huamin said in a statement
early on Thursday that the U.S. vessel had encroached upon
Chinese territorial waters near the Spratly Islands without the
government's permission and had been warned to leave.
"The facts prove that the United States' so-called 'freedom
of navigation' is actually an assertion of maritime hegemony
that ignores international law, seriously harms China's
sovereignty and security interests, and seriously harms peace
and stability in the South China Sea region," Li said.
"We urge the U.S. side to immediately stop such kinds of
provocative acts, to avoid causing unexpected incidents."
China and the United States have traded barbs in the past
over what Washington has said is Beijing's militarization of the
South China Sea by building military installations on artificial
islands and reefs in disputed waters.
China's claims in the South China Sea, through which about
$5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes each year, are contested
by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Beijing says its construction is necessary for self-defense
and that the United States is responsible for ratcheting up
tensions by sending warships and military planes close to
islands that Beijing claims.
Asked why China had denied the U.S. request for the Qingdao
port visit, Defense Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang did not give
a direct answer, saying only that they had been in communication
with the United States through military and diplomatic channels.
Ren, speaking at a regular monthly news briefing, implied it
was to do with the overall poor state of relations.
"We value developing the China-U.S. military-to-military
relationship but the U.S. side should create positive conditions
and atmosphere for the development of this relationship," he
added.
China's 2019 defense spending will rise 7.5 percent from
2018, according to a budget report. Its military build-up has
raised concerns among neighbors and Western allies, particularly
with China becoming more assertive in territorial disputes in
the East and South China Seas and over Taiwan, a self-ruled
territory Beijing claims as its own.
The U.S. military last year put countering China, along with
Russia, at the center of a new national defense strategy,
shifting priorities after more than a decade-and-a-half of
focusing on the fight against Islamist militants.
Vice President Mike Pence, in a visit to Iceland next week,
will also have talks about "incursions" into the Arctic Circle
by China and Russia, a senior Trump administration official said
on Wednesday. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
China denies Qingdao port visit for U.S. warship amid tensions
says China trade deal coming, Beijing calls for resolution
of dispute ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>