China says it ‘drove’ away U.S. destroyer that sailed near disputed isles

The U.S. Navy said the destroyer ‘asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea, consistent with international law’

A U.S. destroyer sailed near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on July 13, drawing an angry reaction from Beijing, which said its military had "driven away" the ship after it illegally entered territorial waters.

The United States regularly carries out what it calls Freedom of Navigation Operations in the South China Sea challenging what it says are restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China and other claimants.

July 11 marked the sixth anniversary of a ruling by an international tribunal that invalidated China's sweeping claims to the South China Sea, a conduit for about $3 trillion worth of ship-borne trade each year.

China has never accepted the ruling.

The U.S. Navy said the destroyer USS Benfold "asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands, consistent with international law".

China says it does not impede freedom of navigation or overflight, accusing the United States of deliberately provoking tensions.

The People's Liberation Army's Southern Theatre Command said the U.S. ship's actions seriously violated China's sovereignty and security by illegally entering China's territorial waters around the Paracels, which are also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.