Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday denounced a US warship sailing in the South China Sea earlier this week and said it undermined the country's sovereignty.
“The incursion violated Chinese laws as well as international laws, infringed China's sovereignty and undermined the peace, stability and order of the relevant water space,” the Ministry's spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a press conference in Beijing.
“We oppose such actions and urge the US to stop such actions that undermine China's sovereignty and security interests,” he was cited as saying by Efe news.
On Thursday, the US Pacific Fleet confirmed that guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville had sailed near the Paracel Islands during a freedom of navigation operation on Monday.
China has disputes with other Asian countries over the sovereignty of several islands in the South China Sea, including parts of the Spratly archipelago (Nansha in Chinese) and the Paracel Islands (which China calls Xisha).
