The US argues that UNCLOS grants foreign ships and planes free access beyond a 12-mile territorial limit, while China claims that military flights cannot cross its 200-mile economic zone without its permission. If China claimed such a zone for each of the sites it occupies, it could close off most of the South China Sea.
美国指出，UNCLOS授予外国船只和飞机自由进入12海里领海线以外区域的权利，而中国主张军用飞机不可在没有获得其允许的情况下飞越其200英里经济区。如果中国对于每一个它所占据的据点都主张这样一个经济区，那么南海的大部分区域都将被覆盖。一位美国官员说，中国似乎要“制造事实”——美国太平洋司令哈里斯海军上将（Admiral Harry Harris）称之为新的“沙长城”。