BEIJING (Dispatches) - A U.S. destroyer sailed near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on Wednesday, drawing an angry reaction from Beijing, which said its military had “driven away” the ship after it illegally entered territorial waters.
The Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said that the guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold had illegally entered Chinese territorial waters, adding that the move seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security.
It also noted that Chinese naval and air forces had tracked the ship and warned it to leave the vicinity of the disputed islands, while showing pictures of the Benfold taken from the deck of the Chinese frigate the Xianning.
“The facts once again show that the United States is nothing short of a ‘security risk maker in the South China Sea’ and a ‘destroyer of regional peace and stability,’” the military said.
The U.S. Navy rejected the accusations, claiming that the Benfold had “asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands, consistent with international law.” It said Beijing sought to “misrepresent lawful US maritime operations and assert its excessive and illegitimate maritime claims at the expense of its Southeastern Asian neighbors in the South China Sea.”
The Paracels, called the Xisha Islands by China, are also claimed by Vietnam and Chinese Taipei, with Beijing claiming historic rights to resources within the region’s so-called nine-dash line. China claims the South China Sea in its entirety. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei have overlapping claims to parts of the sea.
The U.S., however, sides with Beijing’s rival claimants in the dispute. The United States routinely sends its warships and warplanes to the South China Sea to assert what it calls its “right” to “freedom of navigation.” China has always warned the US against military activities in the sea. Beijing says potential close military encounters between the air and naval forces of the two countries in the region may spark conflict.
Harris Vows U.S. Will Strengthen Its Pacific Islands Relations

The United States launched a major push into the Pacific, seeking to hold off China’s advance in the region, with Vice President Kamala Harris announcing $600 million in funding at a key regional summit.
Harris also revealed the U.S. will open two new embassies -- in Tonga and Kiribati -- during an unprecedented address to the Pacific Islands Forum in Fiji.
The U.S. will also appoint its first-ever enjoy to the Pacific and launch an inaugural national strategy for the region.
The U.S.-China rivalry has brought intense interest to this year’s forum, which brings together leaders from across the strategically vital Pacific.
It marks the first time regional leaders have met together since the Solomon Islands signed a controversial security pact with China earlier this year.
Harris’ video-link address was a diplomatic coup for the U.S., with China not yet invited to make a similar appearance at the summit.
At least one official from the local Chinese embassy was in the room for Harris’ address, causing a minor stir among organizers.
Harris said she and U.S. President Joe Biden acknowledged the Pacific may not have previously received enough focus in the past.
“We are going to change that,” she promised, adding the U.S. wanted to “significantly deepen our presence in the Pacific region”.
Alongside a $60 million pledge for economic assistance to the Forum Fisheries Agency, she said the U.S. would also relaunch the Peace Corps in the Pacific.
She said the U.S. wanted to collaborate on maritime security, disaster relief and infrastructure projects that “do not result in insurmountable debt”.