The tension between Washington and Beijing shifts to the sea
China’s military said on Tuesday it had repelled a US guided-missile cruiser that had illegally entered waters near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
“The actions of the US military have seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security,” said Tian Junli, spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Area Command.
The ship in question is the missile cruiser Chancellorsville, which recently sailed through the Taiwan Strait.
There was no immediate comment from the US military.
Tian said the US ship’s entry into the area showed the US was a security risk maker in the South China Sea.
The Southern Command said on its account on the social networking site WeChat that the Chinese army forces will remain on high alert.
China claims almost all of the South China Sea, in what has become one of the many flashpoints in relations between it and the United States.
The United States rejects what it calls China’s illegal claims to the resource-rich waters.
US warships have passed through the South China Sea with increasing frequency in recent years, in a show of force in the face of Chinese demands.
