Why is China not protecting its territorial waters with antiship?
There is phrase you need to learn: Freedom of Navigation Freedom of navigation - Wikipedia Freedom of navigation (FON) is a principle of customary international law that ships flying the flag of any sovereign state shall not suffer interference from other states, apart from the exceptions provided for in international law.[1] This right is now also codified as article 87(1)a of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Not all UN member states have ratified the convention; notably, the United States has signed, but not ratified the convention. However, the United States enforces the practice. Freedom of Navigation in the South China Sea: A Practical Guide Excessive maritime claims are assertions by states that are inconsistent with the terms of UNCLOS. In other words, they are unlawful or illegal. There are generally two types of these claims: 1. Claims inconsistent with the legal divisions of the ocean and related airspace (e.g. territorial sea claims greater than 12 nautical miles) 2. Restrictions on navigation and overflight rights (e.g. requiring advance notification or authorization for innocent passage of warships through the territorial sea). Does the United States challenge excessive maritime claims? If so, why? It is recognized international law and practice that, to prevent deviations from the law, states must persistently object to actions by other states that seek to change those rules.4 The United States challenges excessive maritime claims under its Freedom of Navigation Program, the purpose of which is to do exactly this: object to excessive maritime claims that could limit freedom of the seas. The program impartially rejects the excessive maritime claims of all states, friend and foe alike. Therfore the U.S. must sail these waters, or cede them to China. Being that these waters are claimed by several nations, the U.S. is enforcing neutrality. In short, if China were to place mines in the open ocean, it would constitute an Act of War.