Adm. Scott Swift (left) observing operations on a P-8A Poseidon aircraft.

Reuters/Seoul/Beijing

A top US Navy admiral said he joined a routine surveillance flight over the disputed South China Sea on Saturday, drawing a stern rebuke from China which said such activities seriously damaged mutual trust between the two countries.
Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, confirmed at a press roundtable in Seoul on Monday that he had been aboard the seven-hour flight of a Boeing P-8 surveillance plane, but gave no specific details about the flight.
In May, Beijing called a P-8 surveillance flight carrying a CNN team over the South China Sea “irresponsible and dangerous”.
Swift said his flight was routine, like the earlier CNN flight, and did not say if China responded to Saturday’s patrol.
“We have forces deployed throughout the region to demonstrate the United States commitment to freedom of navigation,” said Swift, adding the flight allowed him to see “first-hand” new operational capabilities in the fleet.
Swift said communications with China at sea were “positive and structured”. “They’re normalised, if you will,” he said.
China’s defence ministry said it hoped the US did not choose sides in the dispute, and that it was “resolutely opposed” to US surveillance flights, though did not say if it warned his aircraft away.
“For a long time, US military ships and aircraft have carried out frequent, widespread, close-in surveillance of China, seriously harming bilateral mutual trust and China’s security interests which could easily cause an accident at sea or in the air,” the ministry said in a statement sent to Reuters.
In a separate statement, China’s maritime safety administration warned ships not to enter waters to the east and southeast of Hainan island from July 22 to July 31 due to military exercises. It gave no other details.
China has almost finished building a 3,000m-long airstrip on one of its artificial islands in the disputed Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea, according to satellite imagery of the area.
Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and others holding overlapping claims.
Washington has demanded China halt land reclamation and militarisation of the disputed area and to pursue a peaceful resolution according to international law.
China stepped up its creation of artificial islands last year, alarming several countries in Asia and drawing criticism from Washington.
Beijing says the outposts will have undefined military purposes, as well as help with maritime search and rescue, disaster relief and navigation.
“There are forces of instability at play in the region, and that’s generating uncertainty,” said Swift, without giving details.
“I wish I had a crystal ball that I look into the future and see. I am concerned about the forces of destabilisation that appear to be more current here in the theatre,” he said.
“And that’s what I hear from my friends in the region as I communicate with them ... The lack of certainty - the growing uncertainty of those countries in the region”.
Military officials were tight-lipped on the purpose of the mission, which was conducted amid the tensions triggered by the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea, with vice admiral Alexander Lopez, chief of the armed forces western command, saying they are not usually informed in advance of such activities.
Lopez’s responsibilities include the Philippine-held territories in the disputed Spratlys chain.
He believes that the surveillance effort is beneficial to the Philippines and the region.
“It’s good for us. It’s a way to monitor what the Chinese are doing in our backyard. It’s good for the region,” he said in a text message.
Lopez said there is nothing wrong with the surveillance efforts because it was conducted within the international airspace and over international waters.
“Only the Chinese claim that these areas are theirs,” he added.
Security officials expect China to criticise the mission and to accuse the US of meddling in the West Philippine Sea row.
“But we should not be bothered by what China will say. All maritime patrols by our allies are done in coordination with Philippine authorities. That surveillance mission is a normal activity we do to pursue maritime security and protect global commons,” a senior officer who asked not to be named said.
China is claiming virtually the entire South China Sea while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have overlapping claims.
To assert its claim, China undertook massive construction projects in areas that are also being claimed by the Philippines: Panganiban (Mischief), Zamora (Subi), Kagitingan (Fiery Cross), Kennan (Chigua), Mabini (Johnson South), Burgos (Gaven) and Calderon (Cuarteron) Reefs.
The Philippines, one of the weakest in the region in terms of defense capability, has filed a complaint against China’s expansive claims over an international arbitral tribunal but China refused to recognise the case and insisted that the territorial dispute should be settled through bilateral negotiations.
The US has vowed not to take sides on the dispute and called on all claimants to resolve their issues peacefully and to adhere to international norms.
The neutral stance, however, did not prevent US officials from criticising China’s aggressiveness and from expressing support to the Philippines’ defense upgrade efforts.
US defense decretary Ashton Carter scored China’s construction projects in disputed areas, describing them as “out of step” with international norms.
Two transport ships to be donated by Australia to the Philippines will be commissioned into service on July 23.
Navy chief vice admiral Jesus Millan said the two landing craft heavy (LCH) would be commissioned in Australia while the vessels’ christening would be held in the Philippines.
“I will travel to Australia on July 20. The schedule of the turnover is on July 23,” Millan told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo on Friday.
“Hopefully, the ships will arrive in the first week of August,” he added.
Millan said the two vessels would be named after indigenous tribes of the Philippines. It has been the tradition of Navy to name landing craft ships after tribes.
One of the ships will be named BRP Ivatan after an indigenous group in Batanes while the other will be called BRP Batak after a tribe in Palawan. The two former vessels of the Royal Australian Navy used to be known as HMAS Tarakan and Brunei.
“The ships will be used for troop transport and HADR (humanitarian and disaster response),” Millan said.”It will boost our capability because of the increase in number of LCH,” he added.
Millan said the Navy has five LCH in its inventory but only three of them are operational.
The Australian government announced its plan to donate two ships to the Philippines in  January.
The donation will include a package of spare parts, according to the Australian defense ministry.
Australian officials previously said two ships would be turned over to the Philippine Navy after being refurbished with new safety and navigation equipment.