WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy plans to conduct patrols within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands in the South China Sea about twice a quarter, a U.S. defense official said on Monday.
“We’re going to come down to about twice a quarter or a little more than that,” the official said. “That’s the right amount to make it regular but not a constant poke in the eye. It meets the intent to regularly exercise our rights under international law and remind the Chinese and others about our view.”
China’s naval commander told his U.S. counterpart last week that a minor incident could spark war in the South China Sea if the United States did not stop its “provocative acts” in the disputed waterway.
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Reporting by Andrea Shalal
