China "Expel US Destroyer Intruding into the South China Sea"... US-China Tensions Escalate

On the 10th, the U.S. 7th Fleet revealed the passage of the USS Barry through the Taiwan Strait. Photo by U.S. 7th Fleet Facebook capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] China criticized the United States for sending a US Navy missile destroyer into the South China Sea, a disputed territorial area.

According to Global Times on the 29th, Li Huamin, spokesperson for China's Southern Theater Command, stated the previous day, "The US destroyer USS Barry illegally intruded into the territorial waters of the Paracel Islands (Chinese name: Xisha Islands; Vietnamese name: Hoang Sa Islands) without the Chinese government's permission," adding, "We deployed naval and air forces to track, monitor, warn, and then expel it."

Spokesperson Li criticized, "The US provocation seriously violates international norms and severely infringes upon China's sovereignty and security interests," and said, "It artificially escalates regional security risks and could have caused unforeseen incidents."

He added, "This is completely inappropriate while the international community is united in fighting COVID-19," urging the US to focus on pandemic control and immediately cease military actions that do not contribute to regional peace and stability.

In response, the US Navy reportedly stated in an interview with the US Naval Institute (USNI) News that the destroyer USS Barry conducted a 'freedom of navigation' operation in waters near Vietnam, according to UPI. Earlier this month, the USS Barry had passed through the Taiwan Strait twice, a move to which China has reacted sensitively.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.