U.S. Navy plans more freedom of navigation moves in South China Sea: Admiral

Reuters
Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy patrol at Woody Island, in the Paracel Archipelago, which is known in China as the Xisha Islands, January 29, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Command told a congressional committee on Wednesday he will carry out more freedom of navigation operations with more complexity in the South China Sea. Admiral Harry Harris told a House of Representatives Armed Services Committee hearing the United States must continue to operate in the South China Sea with allies, including Japan and South Korea. The hearing comes after China deployed surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island in the South China Sea's Paracel chain and new radars on Cuarteron Reef in the Spratlys. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; Writing by Clarece Polke; Editing by Eric Walsh)