The Chinese military said Thursday (March 23rd) that it had chased away a US warship that had "illegally entered" an archipelago it controls in the South China Sea, denouncing an action that "compromises peace and stability".

This incident comes in a context of struggle for influence between Beijing and Washington in this maritime area and strong rivalry on several other issues: Taiwan, TikTok, treatment of the Uighur minority or trade.

The destroyer USS Milius "illegally entered" Thursday "without the approval of Chinese authorities" in the waters of the Paracels, Tian Junli, spokesman for the southern theater of operations of the Chinese military, said in a brief statement. "Naval and air forces have been mobilized to track and monitor this ship, as well as issue a warning and make it leave the area," he said.

He denounced a US maneuver that "undermines peace and stability in the South China Sea" and assured that the military "remains on guard and will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard national sovereignty".

Contacted by AFP, the US armed forces for the Asia-Pacific zone had not reacted immediately.

"Freedom of navigation"

The Paracels, an archipelago equidistant from the Chinese and Vietnamese coasts, are disputed between Beijing and Hanoi. The Chinese navy regained control of the entire islands in 1974 following a naval conflict.

China claims to have been the first nation to discover and name islands in the South China Sea, through which much of the trade between Asia and the rest of the world today passes. It thus claims a large part of the islands in this maritime area. But other riparian nations (Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei) have competing claims to sovereignty.

Each country controls several islands and atolls, including in the Spratly archipelago further south, where incidents are generally much more frequent than in the Paracels.

The United States and sometimes some of its Western allies regularly conduct "freedom of navigation" operations in the South China Sea, sending warships to challenge Chinese claims.

Beijing has cemented its control over some islets and atolls in the maritime region over the past decade, carrying out expansion work and setting up military installations.

With AFP

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