US destroyer INTERCEPTED by two Chinese warships in serious provocation - DAILY NEWS

US destroyer INTERCEPTED by two Chinese warships
in serious provocation THE US Navy has been accused of a serous
military provocation after sailing close to Chinese-claimed territory without authorisation. The USS Mustin, an Arleigh Burke-class guided
missile destroyer, has infuriated China by sailing within 12 nautical miles of an artificial
island in the South China Sea. Two Chinese frigates took immediate action
and warned off and dispelled the USS. Mustin, according to Chinas defence ministry.

Bristling with Tomahawk missiles, the destroyer
sailed past Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands while carrying out a freedom of navigation
mission. The Peoples Liberation Army Navy is today
holding war drills in the region in an apparent show of force aimed at intimidating the US. China has been building military islands and
staking claims to territory in the South China Sea  a highly contested expanse of water. In a statement, Chinas defence ministry
accused the US of a serious political and military provocation against China.

The Chinese military is firmly opposed
to it, the Chinese Ministry of Defence added. "China holds indisputable sovereignty over
the islands and their surrounding waters in the South China Sea," Ren Guoqiang, defence
ministry spokesman, said on Friday. By repeatedly sending military ships into
these areas without authorisation, the US. Has seriously harmed Chinese sovereignty and
security, violated basic rules of international relations, and harmed regional peace and stability.

The US Navy operation has damaged the atmosphere
of military-to-military relations between Washington and Beijing, he added. US Navy patrols of the South China Sea aimed
at contesting Chinas territorial expansionism are commonplace despite the of disapproval
of the PLP. Nicole Schwegman, a spokeswoman for the US
Pacific Fleet, has confirmed that the USS. Mustin sailed close to Mischief Reef.

All operations are designed in accordance
with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail and operate
wherever international law allows, she told CNN. A bitter territorial feud between China and
several southeast Asian countries has given rise to simmering military tensions in the
region in recent years. In January, China vowed to take necessary
measures to protect its sovereignty after a US Navy destroyer sailed near disputed territory
claimed by Beijing..