A US destroyer without the permission of the Chinese side entered the waters of the disputed Xisha Islands (Paracel Islands) in the South China Sea. According to RBC, this was stated by the official representative of the Southern Zone of the Combat Command of the People’s Liberation Army of China, Tian Junli.
We are talking about the missile destroyer USS Millius. “The PLA Navy and Air Force were sent to watch the ship and urged it to leave the waters,” Tian Junli said.
According to a representative of the military department, the ship threatened peace and stability in the region.
China took control of the Paracel Islands in 1974, but Vietnam and Taiwan dispute ownership of the island.
The US Navy’s 7th Fleet responded by saying that the US will continue to “fly, sail and carry out missions where international law allows,” Reuters reported.
China regularly accuses the US of invading its territorial waters. In November 2022, Junli claimed that the cruiser Chancellorsville had intruded into Chinese waters in the South China Sea. The US Navy responded by saying that the cruiser “conducted a Freedom of Navigation Maintenance Operation (FONOP) in accordance with international law.”
Source: Rosbalt
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