LETTER TO THE EDITOR: China’s claim in South China Sea illegitimate

OPINION:

China’s outrageous claim of sovereignty over the whole of the South China Sea and plans to back it up with force reveal the threat of a new world order under China (“Inside China:Armed Fisherman” (Web, July 18).

The majority of the South China Sea and the islands in it, including especially the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Reef, are contiguous to other nations.

For China to claim sovereignty over such an area, containing a fifth of the world’s sea lanes, is a direct challenge to freedom of the seas and international order among nations. Americans have shed blood in the region over the past 70 years, earning us a say over international law and order in that area. China’s actions mock that sacrifice.

If China intends to back up their baseless claim with force, then one must shudder to think of life in any new world order under China.

D.A. SAMS

West Jefferson, Ohio