A U.S. destroyer sailed near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, angering the Chinese military.
The USS Benfold conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea to challenge what it said were restrictions on passages around the islands by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
LAWYER CLAIMS KREMLIN WOULD SWAP GRINER AND WHELAN FOR RUSSIAN ARMS DEALER
The Chinese military said the U.S. warship’s actions violated its country’s sovereignty and security, while the U.S. Navy said China’s remarks were “false.”
“The actions of the US military have seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security, seriously undermined the peace and stability of the South China Sea, and seriously violated international law and norms of international relations,” People’s Liberation Army air force Col. Tian Junli, spokesman for the Southern Theater Command, said in a statement, according to CNN.
The 7th Fleet said in a statement that China’s remarks were “the latest in a long string of PRC actions to misrepresent lawful U.S. maritime operations and assert its excessive and illegitimate maritime claims at the expense of its Southeastern Asian neighbors in the South China Sea.”
“The PRC’s behaviors stands in contrast to the United States’ adherence to international law and our vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” it continued.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group is operating in the South China Sea for the first time during its deployment this year, the 7th Fleet said in a separate statement.
“Building on the lessons and successes of exercises like Valiant Shield 2022 and our continuous opportunities to train and operate alongside allies and partners, we provide assured capability to uphold the rules-based international order in this body of water and anywhere else we will sail, fly, and operate,” said Rear Adm. Michael Donnelly, commander of the Task Force 70/Carrier Strike Group 5.
