BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th March, 2023) The American guided missile destroyer USS Milius entered the waters of the disputed Paracel Islands, also known as the Xisha Islands, in the South China Sea for the second time this week, undermining China's sovereignty and security, thus Beijing demands that the United States stop its provocations, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said on Friday.
Tian Junli, a spokesperson of People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command, said on Thursday that USS Milius had entered the disputed waters without notifying China.
"The US guided missile destroyer USS Milius entered the territorial waters of the Chinese Xisha Islands again on March 24 without permission from the Chinese government, thereby undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea," Tan was quoted as saying by the Chinese Defense Ministry on WeChat.
The actions of the US military have become a "gross infringement upon the sovereignty and security of China," as well as a serious violation of international law, the spokesman noted.
"We demand that the American side immediately stop such provocative actions, otherwise the US will have to bear full responsibility for the serious consequences caused by this," Tan emphasized.
Tan reiterated that the PLA will take all necessary measures to protect the sovereignty and security of the country, as well as to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.
Beijing has long been disputing ownership of a number of hydrocarbon-rich islands in the South China Sea with several Asia-Pacific countries. The territories include the Paracel archipelago, the Spratly Islands, and the Scarborough Shoal.
In July 2016, following a lawsuit filed by the Philippines, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China had no grounds for territorial claims in the South China Sea. According to the court, the disputed territories of the Spratly archipelago are not considered islands in the legal sense, but rather rocks or low-tide elevations which do not form an exclusive economic zone. Beijing has said that it does not consider the decision of the court valid and does not recognize it.
