U.S Navy Warship Accused by China of Violating Chinese Sovereignty and Security

China strongly criticized the United States after an American vessel passed in the much-disputed South China Sea waters, highlighting the continuing military tensions between China and the U.S.

The arrival of the USS Gabrielle Giffords close to the Second Thomas Shoal on Monday gravely violated Chinese sovereignty and security, the Chinese military said in a statement.

According to the military, the littoral combat vessel undermined regional stability and peace, demonstrating that the United States is the most serious threat to harmony and security in the South China Sea.

The United States claims that its navy warships operate in international waterways.

While a visit between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in the United States last month helped to improve overall relations, the two countries remain at odds over US military actions.

Both the United States and China published video footage in October that revealed provocative/unprofessional behaviour by military boats in and near the South China Sea, which Beijing largely claims as its own.

The Second Thomas Shoal has recently been the focus of tense encounters between China’s and Philippines’ sailors over a World War II-era vessel that Manila sunk in the shoal over 20 years ago. The Philippines stated that the action was taken in retaliation to China’s colonization of a neighbouring reef.

The US Seventh Fleet and troops from the Philippines’ armed forces performed a military cooperation action in the South China Sea in late November, including USS Gabrielle Giffords, and aimed at “preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region, per the US Navy.

References: kdhnews, Bloomberg, the hill

U.S Navy Warship Accused by China of Violating Chinese Sovereignty and Security appeared first on Marine Insight – The Maritime Industry Guide

Source: Maritime Shipping News