An editorial in the Hong Kong based Wen Hui Daily has defended China's action to protect its sovereign rights over the South China Sea in the US-China naval incident.

The Pentagon initially claimed that its ship, the Impeccable, was unarmed. Later the US spokesman Bryan Whitman said the Impeccable was carrying "no significant weapons". According to the US Navy, half of the Impeccable's 50-strong crew are civilians. But what about the other half?

According to Wikipedia, "The mission of Impeccable is to directly support the Navy by using SURTASS passive and active low frequency sonar arrays to detect and track undersea threats."

A US navy website describes the Impeccable as one of five Ocean Surveillance Ships among 25 ships in the Military Sealift Command's Special Mission Ships Program. The ships provide operating platforms and services for a wide variety of US military and other US government missions.

A Chinese military expert told Global Times on March 9, 2009 that it was very strange that the US military had chosen to break the news at such a sensitive moment and had persisted in taking a hard-line over the issue. To conduct activities in areas close to China and then claim that their ship was harassed by Chinese ships was arbitrary logic.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said at regular press conference on March 10, "The US claims contravene the facts, confuse black with white, and are totally unacceptable to China."

Ships of other countries are allowed to pass through China's exclusive economic zones on condition that they do not engage in illegal activities that would jeopardize China's sovereignty.

But the Impeccable was carrying out military surveys in the South China Sea, infringing upon China's sovereign rights. This was a military provocation incompatible with international law and Chinese law. China was absolutely justified in taking action to safeguard its marine sovereignty.

The Law on the Exclusive Economic Zone and the Continental Shelf of the Peoples Republic of China, states that "the People's Republic of China has the right to take measures against acts violating the laws and regulations of the People's Republic of China in the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf, including investigations for legal liabilities according to law. China may also exercise the right of hot pursuit."

According to the Global Times, US surveillance ships often engage in surveying activities in the East China Sea and South China Sea. They also carry out similar offensive surveying activities in other areas around the world, causing disputes with many other countries.

In April 2001, a diplomatic crisis was triggered when a US spy plane carrying out military intelligence-gathering over China's airspace collided with a Chinese plane. Eight years on, the US is continuing its activities within China's exclusive economic zones.

The US must accept the fact that China is growing stronger. As Dr Henry Kissinger said, "Throughout history, when one country becomes stronger, the former super power feels uneasy. But China's rise is inevitable. There's nothing that can be done to prevent it."

(China.org.cn by Zhang Ming'ai, March 12, 2009)