Home › Defence & Aerospace › China says US warship illegally entered its territory in South China Sea

China says US warship illegally entered its territory in South China Sea

By China News on May 21, 2021 • ( 0 )

China has branded the United States an “out-and-out security risk creator” in the South China Sea, after a US warship sailed through waters near disputed Islands.

In a statement, the Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command said the USS Curtis Wilbur, a guided-missile destroyer, entered the waters near the Paracel Islands without permission, adding that its ships and planes followed the US vessel.

It said China opposed the US action, which it said violated its sovereignty and undermined regional peace and stability.

US actions “increase regional security risks, which easily cause misunderstandings, misjudgments and unforeseen maritime incidents,” People’s Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command spokesman Colonel Tian Junli said in a notice posted on social media.

“This is unprofessional and irresponsible, and fully demonstrates that the US is an out-and-out ‘South China Sea security risk creator’.”

Beijing on Wednesday had chastised Washington for sailing the USS Curtis Wilbur through the Taiwan Strait earlier this week.

The US Seventh Fleet described it as a “routine” transit.

The South China Sea has emerged as one of many flashpoints in the testy Sino-US relations, with Washington rejecting what it has called unlawful territorial claims asserted by Beijing in the resource-rich waters.

US warships have passed through the South China Sea with increasing frequency in recent years, a show of force against the Chinese claims.

The US Navy said later on Thursday the USS Curtis Wilbur “asserted navigational rights and freedoms” near the Paracel Islands, over which China, Taiwan and Vietnam all claim sovereignty.

China says US warship illegally entered its territory in South China Sea – ABC News Australia