US: Chinese ship did 'unsafe' manoeuvres in SCS

Chinese ship

The US has accused a Chinese naval ship of conducting "unsafe and unprofessional" manoeuvres when one of its warships entered the waters of the disputed South China Sea. China on Tuesday expressed its strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the US warship sailing near the islands and reefs claimed by it in the South China Sea (SCS).

"On September 30, without permission of the Chinese government, the US destroyer Decatur entered neighbouring waters of islands and reefs of China's Nansha Islands," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Chinese naval ship identified the US vessel, warned and expelled it, Hua said, stressing that China has indisputable sovereignty of the Nansha islands (Spratly Islands) and its adjacent waters. An official US statement described the move by the Chinese destroyer as "unsafe" because it moved within 41 metres of the US warship.

S Pacific Fleet deputy spokesman Nate Christensen said the Chinese destroyer had "approached USS Decatur in an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre in the vicinity of Gaven Reef in the South China Sea".

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