Beijing: Unauthorized entry by the USS Benfold, a guided-missile destroyer, into Chinese territorial waters near the Xisha Islands, also known as the Paracel Islands, in the South China Sea on Wednesday undermined regional peace and stability.

According to a statement from Chinese Air Force Senior Colonel Tian Junli spokesman for the Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army, "On July 13, the US guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold trespassed into China's territorial waters off Xisha Islands without Chinese government's permission.

The US military's actions have gravely violated China's national sovereignty and security, threatened the South China Sea's peace and stability and broken international law the spokesman continued.
Tian asserts that the US action is further evidence of Washington's desire to militarise the South China Sea. With several Asia-Pacific nations. Beijing has long disputed ownership of a number of islands in the South China Sea that are rich in hydrocarbons. The Xisha archipelago, the Spratly Islands and the island of Huangyan, also called the Scarborough Shoal, are among the territories. The territories have been claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and Malaysia.

The passage of US warships, which Beijing claims violate international law and jeopardise China's sovereignty and security, frequently complicates the situation in the maritime area. US forces will continue to operate wherever permitted by international law, including in the South China Sea, according to Washington. 

The South China Sea, a route for about $3 trillion in annual shipborne trade, was the subject of a judgement by an international tribunal that was overturned six years ago on Monday.China has never consented to the decision.Almost the entire South China Sea is claimed by China. The claims of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei are all disputable and frequently overlap.Airports have been constructed on some of China's South China Sea holdings, raising questions about Beijing's intentions in the region. 

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