The Pentagon is considering sending United States military aircraft and ships to assert ‘freedom of navigation’ around rapidly growing Chinese-made artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea, a US official said on Tuesday.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter requested options that include sending aircraft and ships within 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) of reefs that China has been building up in the Spratly island chain, the official said.
Such a move would directly challenge Chinese efforts to expand its influence in the maritime heart of Southeast Asia.
“We are considering how to demonstrate freedom of navigation in an area that is critical to world trade,” the US official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that any options would need White House approval.
Carter’s request was first reported earlier on Tuesday by the Wall Street Journal, which said one option was to fly Navy surveillance aircraft over the islands.
It quoted US officials as saying there was now growing momentum within the Pentagon and the White House for taking concrete steps in order to send Beijing a signal that the recent build up in the Spratlys had gone too far and needed to stop.
The Pentagon and White House did not immediately comment but the South China Sea is likely to be a topic of discussion when US Secretary of State John Kerry visits China this weekend.
Part of Kerry’s trip will focus on preparations for the annual US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue scheduled to be held in Washington in late June.
Chinese embassy spokesman Zhu Haiquan said China had “indisputable sovereignty” over the Spratlys, adding China’s construction there was “reasonable, justified and lawful”.
Beijing claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year.
The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims.
News of the possibly tougher US stance came as a key pillar of President Barack Obama’s rebalance to Asia in the face of China’s rising power suffered a major blow at the hands of Democrats in the US Senate, who blocked debate on a bill that would have smoothed the path for a 12-nation pan-Pacific trade deal.
