Her Ministry of Defense China announced today, for the second day in a row, that it placed the guided missile destroyer USS Milnius under surveillance and then forced it to leave, accusing it of invading Chinese territorial waters near the Paracel Islands.

“We urgently demand USA immediately stop these provocative actions, otherwise they will suffer serious consequences of unforeseen circumstances,” the message says.

The US Navy, for its part, has confirmed that the ship is exercising its right to “freedom of navigation”.

“The illegal and indiscriminate (Chinese) claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to freedom of navigation, including freedom of navigation and overflight, free and unfettered trade, and freedom of economic opportunity for coastal countries. from the South China Sea,” the 7th Fleet said in a written statement received by Reuters via email.

US forces operate daily in the South China Sea, the US Navy added.

For the second day in a row, there is a confrontation and counterclaims between the two great powers, the tension in relations between which does not cease to grow.

China claims much of the South China Sea, even within the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of other states, including the Philippines in particular. Trillions worth of goods pass through the South China Sea every year.

^{Source: APE-MEB, Reuters}