Beijing Claims US Naval Ship Intruded In Chinese Water Near Taiwan Strait

China chased away a US naval ship that “illegally intruded” into waters near the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea, according to the Chinese military. 

“The US military's actions seriously violated China's sovereignty and security,” said Tian Junli, spokesman for the People's Liberation Army's Southern Theatre Command.

However, the US military made no immediate comment.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea under a nine-dash line that was ruled invalid by an international court in 2016. It has ignored that decision in favour of constructing artificial islands and expanding military operations in the sea, which the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan also claim.

Tian accused the United States of being a “security risk maker” in the area, claiming the USS Chancellorsville's voyage was “another iron-clad proof of its hegemony in the navigation and militarisation of the South China Sea.”

According to the Southern Theater Command's WeChat social media account, Chinese troops will remain on “high alert.”

China’s expansive claims in the resource-rich waters have been rejected by the United States.

In recent years, it has sent a number of warships through the South China Sea in what it calls “freedom of navigation” exercises, and it has also expressed support for an agreement on a binding code of conduct and other confidence-building measures.

Vice President Kamala Harris said last week during a visit to Palawan on the disputed waters that the US would push for an international campaign against “irresponsible behaviour” in the South China Sea.