China complains over B-52 flight near man-made island

US Navy says it had no intention to fly bomber within 12 nautical miles of artificial island

The Pentagon confirmed on Friday it received complaints from China after a B-52 bomber recently flew near a Chinese artificial island in the South China Sea.

Navy Commander Bill Urban, a Pentagon spokesman, said the United States regularly conducts B-52 training missions throughout the region but there was no plan for the B-52 to fly within 12 nautical miles of any artificial island.

“This was not a Freedom of Navigation operation,” said Urban, referring to regular US Navy missions conducted to challenge what the United States believes are excessive territorial claims made by other countries.

“The Chinese have raised concerns with us about the flight path of a recent training mission,” Urban said. “We are looking into the matter.”

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The US guided missile destroyer USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef in late October to deliberately challenge China’s claims of territorial waters there. The decision drew an angry rebuke from China, which called it “extremely irresponsible.”

Subi Reef is an artificial island built up by China over the past year. Before Chinese dredging turned them into islands, Subi was submerged at high tide. Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, 12-nautical mile limits cannot be set around man-made islands built on previously submerged reefs.

The incident involving the B-52 bomber took place last week near the Cuarteron Reef in the Spratly Islands, disputed territory claimed by China and several of its neighbours, the Wall Street Journal said.

China complained the plane flew within 2 nautical miles of the reef, a US defence official said on condition of anonymity. The official said the United States believed the plane was somewhat farther away but had mistakenly come within 12 nautical miles.

Reuters