by Tyler Durden at ZeroHedge
China is furious and has lashed out Thursday over allegations that a US warship entered Chinese territorial waters in the South China Sea. It comes two days after a PLA Navy ship followed the USS Curtis Wilbur as it conducted a “routine transit” through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday.
The newest incident appears to be more serious, with a Chinese military statement now accusing the same ship, the guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilber, of traversing and violating waters near the Paracel Islands without permission. A Chinese PLA statement had gone so far as to say it was “expelled” from the disputed waters, later vehemently denied by the US 7th Fleet: The PLA’s statement about this mission is false. USS Curtis Wilbur was not “expelled” from any nation’s territory…
U.S. 7th Fleet Denies Chinese Claim American Destroyer Was ‘Expelled’ from South China Sea Island Chain – USNI Newshttps://t.co/6L1NAoBlzD pic.twitter.com/3nhoGS5agY
— U.S. Naval Institute (@NavalInstitute) May 20, 2021
“China said on Thursday a U.S. warship had illegally entered its territorial waters in the South China Sea, the latest salvo in the two nations’ dispute over Beijing’s territorial claims in the busy waterway,” Reuters reports of the military statement.
Chinese military spokesman Colonel Tian Junli denounced the “violation” of Chinese waters as follows:
“This is unprofessional and irresponsible, and fully demonstrates that the US is an out-and-out ‘South China Sea security risk creator’,” he said.
Of course, the Paracels are among multiple disputed island chains in the South China Sea. The United States doesn’t recognize China’s claim over it, which is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. It’s one of the island-chains which China has built military fortifications on…
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