Washington's gunship ploy won't work

People may have lost count of the number of times US warships have intruded into China's territorial waters over the years.

Each time the US portrays the naval operation as a necessary means to safeguard "freedom of navigation" in the region; and each time the People's Liberation Army responds by sending naval vessels to "monitor and verify" the intruders before warning them off, followed by Beijing lodging a protest over the "provocative" move by the US that undermines China's sovereignty and security interests, as well as regional peace and stability.

So it was d��j�� vu on Wednesday when the US Navy destroyer Wayne E. Meyer triggered this cat-and-mouse game again by sailing within 12 nautical miles of China's Nansha Islands without the permission of the Chinese government.