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Beijing rebukes Washington after warning off US warship in South China Sea
- PLA command calls US the ‘biggest disrupter of peace’ in the region, accusing destroyer of ‘illegally’ entering waters near contested islands
- It is first encounter between the powers in the disputed waters since leaders Xi Jinping and Joe Biden met in effort to manage rising tensions
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Beijing hit out at Washington on the weekend, describing it as “the biggest disrupter of peace” in the South China Sea after a US warship entered waters near disputed islands.
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The Chinese military said it “warned off” a US destroyer that “illegally” entered its territorial waters near the Xisha Islands, also known as the Paracels, on Saturday.
The People’s Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command said it responded by mobilising naval and air forces to “track and monitor” the US vessel in the waters, which are claimed by Beijing, Hanoi and Taipei.
“The serious violation of China’s sovereignty and security by the United States is further iron proof that it is pursuing ‘navigation hegemony’ and creating ‘militarisation of the South China Sea’,” command spokesman Tian Junli said.
“It fully proves that the United States is an out-and-out ‘security risk creator of the South China Sea’, and the ‘biggest disrupter’ of peace and stability in the South China Sea.
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“Troops in the theatre remain on high alert at all times and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security and peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
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