BEIJING — China criticized the U.S. for sending two warships to what Beijing considers its territorial waters in the South China Sea, state media reported Monday.
BEIJING — China criticized the U.S. for sending two warships to what Beijing considers its territorial waters in the South China Sea, state media reported Monday.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the U.S. warships on Sunday trespassed in China’s territorial waters near the Paracel Islands, known as Xisha Islands in Chinese.
The Chinese navy “identified the U.S. warships, warned and expelled them,: ministry spokesman Lu Kang said late Sunday.
Lu said China urges the U.S. to “stop such provocative operations that violate China’s sovereignty and threaten China’s security.”
The U.S. ships carried out maneuvers within 12 nautical miles of islands in the Paracel chain, a U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal. The U.S. Navy regularly conducts “freedom of navigation operations” in disputed territories in the South China Sea, drawing Beijing’s condemnation.
The maneuvers come on the heels of the U.S. disinviting China from multi-nation military drills in the Pacific, because of China’s militarization of islands in the South China Sea.
Relations between the two countries have also tensed up after the White House last week canceled a planned summit with North Korea, Beijing’s ally.
Washington and Beijing are also carrying out months-long negotiations over trade.
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, a key shipping lane that is believed to be rich in resources. The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam also have overlapping claims to the area.
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Bogus claims by bully China, serves them right when the US Navy sails in international waters. If the Chinese think they own it, then why did it not attack those ships? They know for a fact the US Navy will destroy the entire Chinese fleet in short notice.