BEIJING: China’s military closely monitored and “drove away” USS Halsey that entered the territorial waters of Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on May 10, the Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army said on Friday.
The US move “seriously infringed on China’s sovereignty and security,” the military said. The US Navy said in a statement the destroyer asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands “consistent with international law.”