China Sends Military to Intercept U.S. in Disputed Sea

The Chinese military has moved to intercept U.S. warships sailing through the contested South China Sea in the latest of what has been a series of tense encounters surrounding the two powers in the Asia-Pacific.

The U.S. Navy deployed its Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell into the contested waters just 12 nautical miles from Paracel Islands, one of the numerous land formations that were claimed by China as well as other nations in the region. In a statement sent to Reuters, Pacific Fleet spokesperson Rachel McMarr said Monday that the maneuver was part of a "freedom of navigation" operation intended "to challenge excessive maritime claims," though she claimed there was no specific target or political message.

The move was met with deep criticism in Beijing, which has vast claims to the spanning South China Sea, including nearby Taiwan, a self-ruling island nation whose nationalist government split with the communist-run mainland after losing a civil war in 1949. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang confirmed during a press conference later that day that the U.S. sent a vessel into the area "without permission from the Chinese side."

"The Chinese side immediately sent military vessels and aircraft to conduct verification and identification on the U.S. ship and warned it to leave," Lu told the briefing. "We have lodged stern representations with the U.S. side."

China's claims to the area overlap with those of Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam and include the entirety of the Spratly Islands—where the U.S. has accused China of installing military infrastructure—and the Scarborough Shoal. Both Taiwan and Vietnam also claim the Paracel Islands and the U.S. has contended that its ships only passed through international waters, something Chinese officials refuted.

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