Introduction
In May 2024, the United States (U.S.) conducted a freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in the South China Sea to demonstrate its commitment to upholding international law. USS Halsey sailed past the Paracel Islands to challenge China’s territorial claims, which the U.S. viewed as inconsistent with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This was a routine operation. The stated aims of these operations are always the same: to challenge excessive claims and promote adherence to international law. In spite of the U.S.’s clear and consistent messaging, China called the operation an ‘illegal intrusion’ and ‘a serious infringement of China’s sovereignty and security’. China went as far as to call the U.S. ‘the biggest destroyer of the peace’ in the region.
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