[Beijing, 20th Reuters]-The PLA announced on the 20th that it has tracked a US Navy destroyer that has entered the waters near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea and warned them to leave the area.
The PLA Southern Battlefield explained that the Navy and Air Force pursued the US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer, Benfold, “illegally” entering China’s territorial waters and violating sovereignty. “We sincerely urge the United States to stop these provocations immediately, otherwise serious unexpected consequences could occur.”
US Navy Seventh Fleet spokesman Langford said Benfold “exercised the right to navigate freely near Paracel Island under international law,” and then continued operations in the South China Sea.
The US military often sails ships in the South China Sea as part of a “freedom of navigation” operation against China’s excessive claims of sovereignty.
