(Beijing) China claimed Friday to have tracked a United States navy vessel and “issued a warning” to it near the Paracel Islands in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
Beijing “ordered naval and air forces to track and monitor the ship in accordance with laws and regulations and issued a warning to make it leave” the scene, said Tian Junli, spokesperson for the command zone. southern Chinese army, in a press release.
The American guided missile destroyer USS Halsey “illegally entered China’s territorial waters near the Xisha Islands without authorization from the Chinese government,” wrote Mr. Tian, using the Chinese name for the Paracel Islands.
These islands are also claimed by Vietnam, and Chinese sovereignty is not internationally recognized.
“The actions of the United States seriously violate China’s sovereignty and security,” said the spokesperson.
Tian accused Washington of causing “security risks in the South China Sea” and being the “biggest attacker” of peace and stability in the region.
The United States Navy said in a statement that its ship had “enforced the rights and freedoms of navigation in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands.”
“At the end of the operation, the USS Halsey […] continued its operations in the South China Sea,” continues the navy, according to which “illegal and widespread claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to freedom”.