China’s army on Thursday it monitored and drove away a US destroyer that had illegally entered waters around the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.
In a statement, the military said without the approval of the government, the guided-missile destroyer Milius illegally intruded into China’s territorial waters, undermining peace and stability in the busy waterway, Reuters reported.
“The theater forces will maintain a high state of alert at all times and take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security and peace and stability in the South China Sea,” Reuters quoted Tian Junli, a spokesman for China’s Southern Theatre Command as saying.
The incident comes amid rising tensions between US and China.
US must be ready for possible confrontation with China: Pentagon
Meanwhile, the Pentagon on Thursday said the US military must be ready for a possible confrontation with China, pushing Congress to approve the Defense Department’s proposed $842 billion budget, which would modernise the force in Asia and around the world.
“This is a strategy-driven budget — and one driven by the seriousness of our strategic competition with the People’s Republic of China,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in testimony before the House Appropriations subcommittee on defense.
Source : FirstPost