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華府/北京 ─ 美軍於南沙群島執行任務，測試中國的領土宣示，目前緊張情勢持續攀升。
華盛頓郵報報導，中國南海主權問題在多國之間存在眾多爭議，這些國家包括汶萊、馬來西亞、越南、台灣、以及菲律賓。但是中國以歷史淵源為由，聲稱南沙群島全為中國的領土。
週二美國海軍派遣一艘拉森號驅逐艦，在南沙群島中的渚碧島與美濟島巡航，離兩座人造島僅離12海浬內，挑戰中國主權。
根據聯合國海洋法公約，12海浬限制僅可套用在天然島嶼，人造島的安全領域距離為500公尺。
根據路透社，中國官方向美國大使館表達強烈不滿，中國外交部也表示在船隻進入中國的水域後，相關當局已經進行監視、跟蹤、並且警告這艘驅逐艦。
美國政府稱，接下來數週於越南與菲律賓聲稱的南沙群島領土間，額外的巡航任務會持續執行。
英文原文：
WASHINGTON/BEIJING — Tensions are high in the Spratly archipelago as the US conducted an operation testing China’s territorial claims.
The Washington Post reports that sovereignty in the South China Sea has long been disputed by many different countries — Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, and the Philippines included — but China, citing history, has claimed the entire area as its own territory.
The U.S. challenged this claim on Tuesday when it sent a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer, the USS Larsen, on a patrol that brought it within 12 nautical miles of Subi and Mischief reefs, two of China’s man-made islands.
Under the U.N. Convention on the Law of The Sea, the 12 nautical mile limit can only be set around natural islands, not artificial ones, where a 500-meter safety zone applies.
According to Reuters, China responded angrily to the US mission, with its Foreign Ministry stating that the relevant authorities monitored, followed, and warned the USS Larsen after it “illegally” entered the country’s waters.
The U.S. has said additional patrols may follow in the coming weeks, conducted around structures built by Vietnam and the Philippines in the Spratly islands.
