by Our Foreign Desk
CHINA voiced “serious concern” yesterday over US plans for military air and sea patrols in the South China Sea.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a routine press briefing that US officials should clarify their remarks and warned that countries should avoid “risky and provocative approaches to maintain regional peace and stability.”

On Tuesday an anonymous US official reportedly said that Washington was planning to send ships and aircraft to “assert freedom of navigation” around Chinese-made artificial islands in the strategic seaway.

Ms Hua said that, while China had always advocated freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, “freedom of navigation does not give one country’s military aircraft and ships free access to another country’s territorial waters and airspace.”

She warned that China would resolutely safeguard its territorial sovereignty, urging the US not to take any risks or make any provocations.

Tuesday’s report quoted the anonymous source as saying that US Defence Secretary Ash Carter had asked for ideas about how to address China’s moves to reinforce its island territories in the area.

One option put forward was to order patrols to breach the 12 nautical mile limit of ­territorial waters, universally recognised under international law.

The US military already patrols waters thousands of miles from its territory, but currently respects the 12-mile zone around Chinese islands.

Invading territorial waters or airspace would potentially be an act of war and would certainly raise tensions between the two Pacific powers.

The South China Sea, which skirts China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan, is a rich fishing ground and through it passes China’s main sea route for the Middle East oil imports that are vital to its burgeoning industrial economy.

China’s programme of building artificial islands, which it asserts are for infrastructure purposes to support the fishing industry, has added about 2,000 acres of new land to the sea.

The territorial status of many other existing islands in the region is disputed between some six states, including China.