US Rejects China’s Claim That US Warship Illegally Entered Waters in South China Sea

The USS Milius (DDG69) guided-missile destroyer arrives to join the Forward Deployed Naval Force at the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, on May 22, 2018. Issei Kato/Reuters

The U.S. Navy on Thursday disputed China’s claim that the Chinese military had driven away a U.S. destroyer that illegally entered waters around the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.

In a statement, the Chinese military said that the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius intruded into China’s territorial waters, undermining peace and stability in the busy waterway.