China, US At Loggerheads Over South China Sea

China’s defence ministry has said that it had for a second time monitored and driven away the US Navy guided-missile destroyer, USS Milius.

This is after it entered territorial waters in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands.

Tan Kefei, spokesperson for China’s defence ministry said in a statement on Friday; “We sternly demand the US to immediately stop such provocative acts, otherwise it will bear the serious consequences of the unforeseen incidents.

“The act of the US military seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security, severely breached international laws, and is more ironclad evidence of the US pursuing navigation hegemony and militarizing the South China Sea."

He added that China would take “all necessary measures” to ensure its territorial security.

Friday marked the second straight day of a standoff between the two countries amid growing tensions in the South China Sea.

As China issued its warnings on Friday, the US Navy issued a statement specifying that the USS Milius had engaged in asserting navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea.

It said the USS Milius’ freedom of navigation operation was a lawful use of the sea and challenged restrictions on innocent passage imposed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC).