US says losing access to China-claimed waters would be huge
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
A U.S. Navy commander says if the United States lost access to international waters claimed by China in the South China Sea, it would have far-reaching implications beyond military.
U.S. Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Scott H. Swift told a conference on Indo-Pacific maritime security on Wednesday that sailing warships in freedom of navigation operations through contested areas where multiple countries have competing territorial claims was "not a naval issue."
Swift says loss of access would have "implications are far beyond the scope of anything that's military in nature," including the global economy and international law.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
But he says the United States has no expectation that such a loss of access would ever occur.
The U.S. Navy has angered China by sending warships close to islands built by Beijing.