The Chinese Ministry of Defense announced today, Friday, that it had to once again monitor and drive away the U.S. destroyer USS Millius, which entered its territorial waters in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands.
The Ministry of National Defense, in a statement, demanded that the United States immediately cease such provocative actions, "or else it will bear the serious consequences of these unforeseen incidents." The U.S. Navy stated that the guided-missile destroyer reaffirms its rights and freedoms of navigation.
The Seventh Fleet of the U.S. Navy said in an emailed statement, "the widespread unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to freedom of the seas, including freedoms of navigation, overflight, free trade, and unrestricted economic opportunities for the countries bordering the South China Sea." The U.S. Navy indicated that U.S. forces operate in the South China Sea on a daily basis.
The confrontation between the Chinese and U.S. navies comes for the second consecutive day amid rising tensions in the South China Sea.
