South China Sea Patrols No Threat, U.S. Admiral Harris Says

The U.S.’s Pacific Fleet commander vowed in a Beijing speech to continue patrols in waters claimed by China in the South China Sea while emphasizing common ground with the country.

The U.S. Navy’s freedom-of-navigation patrols were intended to prevent the erosion of international law and shouldn’t be construed as a threat to any country, Admiral Harry Harris told a Peking University crowd, according to a text of the speech. The South China Sea won’t be an exception to the U.S. military’s policy of operating wherever the law allows.