China's warning to US spy plane over South China Sea could spike tension

The Chinese Navy's warnings to an American surveillance plane to leave air space around the disputed islands in the South China Sea recently indicates that Beijing may consider creating a military exclusion zone, a move that could spark off regional tensions, a report said.

The warning was issued eight times to a P-8A Poseidon over the Spratly Islands on Wednesday, and after every warning, the U.S. pilots calmly replied that they were flying through international space, reported Stuff.co.nz.

The South China Sea and the islands and reefs set amid fertile fishing grounds and potentially oil and gas-rich waters have been the subject of territorial claims between China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. China has consistently resorted to history to claim more than 80 per cent of the sea.

The U.S. is not a claimant of territory in the South China Sea, but says it has a national interest in the peaceful resolution of the conflict for reasons of facilitating smooth world trade.

Beijing has been engaged in rigorous land reclamation activities and construction, including building artificial islands in the South China Sea.

However, under international law, construction of artificial islands confers no right of sovereignty over neighbouring waters.