China: US Destroyer Entered Our Territorial Waters Without Permission

The Chinese military announced today, Saturday, that the US Navy destroyer Hopper entered China's territorial waters without permission from the Beijing government. The military stated via the official account of the Southern Command on the "WeChat" platform that it has deployed its naval and aerial forces to "track, monitor, and warn" the destroyer. It added that this incident "proves that the United States is the complete ‘source of security risks’ in the South China Sea." This announcement comes days after China accused the Philippines of enlisting "foreign forces" to patrol the South China Sea, referring to the joint patrols conducted by Philippine and American forces since Tuesday. The US State Department stated that the United States and China held "candid" talks this month regarding maritime issues, including the contested South China Sea, and that the US side expressed its concerns over China's "dangerous and unlawful" actions in the area.