China Condemns US Warship Incursion in South China Sea

Beijing, Oct 20 (KUNA) -- Beijing condemned on Tuesday the incursion of a U.S. warship into the maritime domain of an island in the South China Sea, asserting that the move constituted a violation of Chinese sovereignty. Xinhua News Agency quoted Yin Qiang, a spokesperson for the Navy of the Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, in a statement saying that the command dispatched forces to monitor and track the U.S. warship Charleston in accordance with the law after it entered waters surrounding the Xianping Jiao (known in the Philippines as Escoda Shoal) coral reef, part of the Nansha Qundao (known in the Philippines as the Spratly Islands), without authorization from the Chinese government. Yin clarified that the U.S. action violated China’s sovereignty and rights, posed a threat to maritime security, and did not serve regional peace and stability, urging Washington to immediately cease such activities. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including areas where the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam assert sovereignty claims. The sea lanes passing through parts of the region are believed to be rich in oil and natural gas deposits, as well as fish stocks, and carry annual trade worth $3 trillion. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China does not hold “historic rights” to most of the strategic waters of the South China Sea, a verdict Beijing rejected. (End) S L Q / F D S