Afrasianet - The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed Beijing's strong protest over the violation of Chinese sovereignty over the entry of a US destroyer in the Parasil Islands area of the South China Sea.
The Chinese Ministry of Defense said in a statement that Chinese fighter jets and warships had issued a warning to the destroyer Stathem after crossing it near Triton Island (part of the disputed Paracel archipelago between Beijing, Taiwan and Vietnam).
The ministry stressed that the US side, under the pretext of "free navigation", directed its warship to Chinese territorial waters again without China's consent.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the United States has violated Chinese national legislation, international law and China's sovereignty, adding that these activities are a military and political provocation.
Earlier on Sunday, a US defense official said a US warship sailed near a disputed island in the South China Sea, which China, Taiwan and Vietnam claim sovereignty on Sunday in a process that challenged the conflicting demands of the three countries.
The official said the USS Steitham, which is equipped with guided missiles, sailed within 12 nautical miles of the island of Triton, part of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.
It was the second operation in the framework of "free shipping operations" during Donald Trump's presidency after training in late May, during which a US warship sailed within 12 nautical miles from an industrial island built by China in the South China Sea.
The 12-nautical mile range represents internationally recognized territorial waters. Sailing within this range is meant to prove that the United States does not recognize the demands of sovereignty there.
In a comment on the Chinese protest, a State Department source confirmed Washington's intention to enjoy "free navigation" in the waters of the South China Sea.
In an interview with the Russian news agency "Novosti", the US diplomat explained that the United States has a comprehensive program called "freedom of navigation" aims to challenge excessive maritime claims, in order to preserve the rights and freedoms in the use of seas and airspace, granted by international law to all States.
"The United States continues regular operations under the program and will continue to do so," the source said, adding that the US Department of Defense publishes annual reports on the results of these operations.
While the Pentagon refused to confirm the appearance of the American destroyer near Arquip Paracel. A spokesman for the US Navy in the Pacific said US naval operations to ensure freedom of navigation did not carry "political messages" and were not directed against a country.
He stressed that all operations of this kind are conducted in accordance with international law, and that Washington's policy in this area "includes the South China Sea and other regions across the world."