Navigation freedom a pretext for putting pressure on China

The United States Navy sent a warship through Chinese waters without the Chinese government's permission on Monday. The move was especially provocative given the flare-up in the trade frictions between the two countries.

The unauthorized sailing of the USS Preble in Chinese waters off Huangyan Island came after two US warships made incursions in waters off the Nansha Islands earlier this month, indicating that the US Navy has increased the frequency of its so-called freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea.

Ostensibly, the US uses the freedom of navigation missions as a pretext to challenge China's territorial claims. But their real intention is to contain China's rise and increase the strategic pressure on China, a strategy that was initiated by the previous US administration and one of the few foreign policy legacies the current administration has chosen to maintain rather than trash.