China-US relations: PLA slams ‘provocative action’ as US warship sails through South China Sea

Colonel urges US to ‘strictly manage and control its maritime and air military operations’ after guided missile destroyer spotted close to Paracel Islands

Beijing will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national sovereignty and security, statement says

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The PLA says it spotted the USS John McCain sailing close to the Parcel Islands on Friday. Photo: US Navy

Published: 2:59pm, 10 Oct 2020Updated: 2:59pm, 10 Oct 2020

China has demanded the United States stop its “provocative actions” in the South China Sea after an American warship was spotted close to the disputed Paracel Islands on Friday.

The People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command described the actions of the USS John S. McCain guided missile destroyer as dangerous.

Senior Colonel Zhang Nandong, who is also the command’s spokesman, said in a statement that the PLA dispatched naval and aerial forces to track the destroyer and drive it away.

He accused the warship of trespassing in China’s territorial waters and urged the United States to control its naval and aerial operations in the area.

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory. The Paracels, known as the Xisha Islands in Mandarin, have been occupied by China since 1974 but are also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.

Zhang said the US frequently sent warships to the South China Sea to “show off its force and severely infringe upon China’s sovereignty and security interests”.