[北京 １３日 ロイター] –The Chinese army announced on the 13th that it has monitored and destroyed a US destroyer that has entered the waters near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. US military actions have been opposed as seriously violating China’s sovereignty and security.
“On July 13, the USS Benfold, a guided-missile destroyer, illegally invaded China’s Xisha territory without the approval of the Chinese government,” said a spokesman for the Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army. “(This action) seriously undermined the peace and stability of the South China Sea and violated international law and rules of international affairs,” he said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the US Navy announced that Benfold “exercised navigation rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands in accordance with international law.” China’s statement on this mission was “false” and argued that it “falsely misrepresented the legitimate maritime activity of the United States and claimed excessive and illegal maritime rights.”
On top of that, the United States defends the right to fly, navigate and operate in every country as long as international law allows, and China’s allegations do not prevent its activities.