The Chinese armed forces said they detected a US military ship in the South China Sea on Thursday (03.23.2023) and that they “warned” it to get out of waters claimed by the Asian giant.
The Southern Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said the USS Milius, a guided-missile destroyer, entered waters near the Spratly Islands, also claimed by Vietnam.
The PLA “organized air and sea forces to track and monitor (the ship) in accordance with the law” and ordered it to leave the area, spokesman Tian Junli said.
The ship “made an illegal incursion into Chinese territorial waters… without permission from the Chinese government, harming peace and stability in the region,” it added. There was no initial response from the United States.
South China Sea Sovereignty
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, through whose shipping lanes trillions of dollars of trade pass each year, despite an international court ruling that its claim lacks legal standing.
The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also claim sovereignty over parts of the sea, and Washington often sends ships to the area to secure freedom of navigation in international waters.
Beijing has created artificial islands in the South China Sea as part of its effort to support its territorial claim. Some of those islands have military installations and airstrips.
Countries in the area have denounced that Chinese ships harass their fishing vessels.
mg (afp, Reuters)
