China Confronts U.S. Warship as Tension Grows Over Flashpoint: "Drove it Away"

China's military said it had driven a U.S. warship from waters it claims in the South China Sea at the weekend and accused the United States of being the "biggest destroyer" of peace and stability in the region.

The incident highlighted the tensions in the flashpoint region and was the first such confrontation since Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden met on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in San Francisco earlier this month and reported progress on some of the issues that have strained ties between the global rivals.

China's state-run People's Daily quoted Senior Colonel Tian Junli, spokesman for the People's Liberation Army's Southern Theater Command, as saying the guided-missile destroyer USS Hopper had entered China's territorial waters illegally on Saturday. It said the incident occurred near the Paracel Islands, which China calls the Xisha Islands.

"The theater command has organized air and naval forces to follow and monitor it, and drove it away according to law," he was quoted as saying.

Tian sharply criticized the United States, labeling the action a "serious violation" of China's sovereignty and security. Tian described the United States as a "security risk maker in the South China Sea" and the "biggest destroyer" of peace and stability in the region. He said troops in the region would remain on high alert.

China's claims over almost the entirety of the South China Sea have long been a point of contention, bringing it into confrontation not only with the United States but also with other regional claimants, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. Beijing has consistently rejected the 2016 ruling by The Permanent Court of Arbitration, which stated that China's claims in the South China Sea have no legal basis.

Newsweek was unable to independently verify details of the incident with the Hopper. The Paracel Islands, where it took place, were seized by China in 1974. They are also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

A statement from the Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs, said the vessel had carrried out a freedom of navigation operation.

"This freedom of navigation operation upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law by challenging restrictions on innocent passage imposed by the People's Republic of China (PRC), Taiwan, and Vietnam," it said. "At the conclusion of the operation, USS Hopper (DDG 70) exited the excessive claim area and continued operations in the South China Sea."

The United States regularly conducts what it calls freedom of navigation missions in the South China Sea and elsewhere to demonstrate its resistance to what Washington describes as "excessive maritime claims".

Adding to the friction with China, U.S. forces last week began air and sea patrols with the Philippines. Another U.S. ally, Australia, recently sent a warship through the tense Taiwan Strait, between the mainland and Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory despite opposition on the self-ruled island.

Updated 11/27/23 at 12.05 A.M. ET. Adds U.S. Navy statement