Freedom of navigation: a tale of two interpretations

Freedom of navigation is a buzzword of the day. Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr, Commander of the US Pacific Command, said on January 27, 2016, that the US navy will "continue down the path of freedom of navigation operations" and "you will see more of them, and you will see them increasing in complexity and scope".

Both China and the United States agree to freedom of navigation, a fundamental principle of the law of the sea. But they have different interpretations of it.

China and more than 20 other developing countries, such as Brazil, India, Vietnam and Malaysia, believe that military activities, such as the close-in surveillance and reconnaissance by a country in another country's Exclusive Economic Zone, infringe on a coastal state's security interests and therefore cannot be simply categorized as freedom of navigation.