简体中文
China's Defense Ministry has urged the US to
respect China's sovereignty and security interests after a US navy
destroyer carried out a "freedom of navigation operation" on Thursday in
the South China Sea.
The Defense Ministry spokesman
Wu Qian said Chinese navy issued a warning after it detected the sailing
of the US ship within Chinese water.
US officials,
speaking on condition of anonymity, said the USS John S. McCain traveled
close to Nansha Islands, a string of islets, reefs and shoals.
It
is the third "freedom of navigation operation" during Trump's
presidency. Thursday's operation is seen as the latest attempt to
counter what Washington sees as Beijing's efforts to limit freedom of
navigation in the strategic waters, and comes as Trump is seeking
China's cooperation to rein in Pyongyang.
China's
Foreign Ministry also protested about the US action late Thursday
evening. The spokesman Geng Shuang said the US Navy destroyer's action
violates Chinese and international law, and severely harmed Chinese
sovereignty and security.
