CGTN photo

On Thursday, August 10, the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain entered into waters near China’s Nansha Islands without authorization. According to Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian, the Chinese Navy’s Huaibei and Fushun guided-missile frigates immediately took action to identify and verify the US ship, and warned and dispelled it.

The spokesman stressed that China holds indisputable sovereignty over Nansha Islands and its adjacent waters. He said the ill intention of sending US warships to the South China Sea has long been obvious to everyone, and stressed that the Chinese military is opposed to such show of force and promotion of militarization in the region, which could easily trigger accidents at sea and in the air.

He pointed out that China and its neighbors have made progress in addressing the situation in the South China Sea. But sending military ships to illegally enter waters near China’s Nansha Islands under the guise of “freedom of navigation” seriously threatens China’s sovereignty and security interests, seriously endangers the lives and safety of both sides’ frontline personnel, and seriously damages regional peace and stability.

Thursday's operation is the third "freedom of navigation operation" during Trump's presidency.

The spokesman noted that relations between the two militaries are generally stable. But such provocative actions by the US seriously harm strategic mutual trust and make it more difficult to develop military-to-military relations. He urged the US to immediately correct its mistakes and stop its provocative actions in the name of “freedom of navigation,” adding that such provocations will only motivate the Chinese military to strengthen its defense capabilities to defend national sovereignty and security.

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