Beijing hits out as US sends warship past two disputed reefs in South China Sea for the first time
- Guided missile destroyer sails close to Fiery Cross and Mischief reefs, where China has military installations
- PLA warns ‘all necessary measures’ will be taken to defend territorial claims
China condemned a US naval patrol near disputed reefs in the South China Sea and called on Washington to stop infringing upon its sovereignty.
On Wednesday, the guided missile destroyer USS Wayne E Meyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of Fiery Cross and Mischief reefs, China’s two biggest artificial islands in the disputed Spratlys. Other US vessels were nearby.
It was the first time an American warship had challenged two Chinese military outposts at once in a “freedom of navigation” operation.
On Thursday, Senior Colonel Li Huamin, spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theatre Command, accused the United States of “acting as a hegemon in ignorance of the international laws and rules” and urged Washington to stop its “provocative actions” to avoid an “unpredictable incident”.
He said the PLA Navy and Air Force shadowed, identified, monitored, warned and expelled the destroyer.