China says US Navy ship violated its sovereignty

Bangkok Post Group

China's military on Monday said a U.S. Navy ship illegally entered waters adjacent to the Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed South China Sea atoll that has recently seen several maritime confrontations. - REUTERS

Transcript

00:00 Man our ship and bring her to life.

00:04 The USS Gabrielle Giffords, seen here in Texas in 2017,

00:09 is what the US Navy calls an independence-class

00:12 littoral combat ship, which means

00:15 it can operate closer to shorelines than other warships.

00:20 And on Monday, China's military claimed

00:22 the Gabrielle Giffords illegally entered waters

00:25 adjacent to a disputed South China Sea atoll that has

00:29 recently seen several maritime confrontations.

00:32 A Chinese spokesperson said, quote,

00:33 "The US seriously undermined regional peace and stability,"

00:37 adding that the US disrupted the South China Sea

00:40 and violated China's sovereignty.

00:43 China is in disputes with several of its neighbors

00:46 over its extensive claims of territorial waters

00:48 in the South China Sea.

00:50 The US Navy said the USS Gabrielle Giffords

00:52 was conducting routine operations

00:54 in international waters in the South China Sea,

00:57 consistent with international law.

01:00 The Chinese military spokesperson

01:01 said the US ship was monitored and followed.

01:05 The US Navy responded, quote, "We will not

01:06 be deterred from continuing to work alongside our allies

01:09 and partners in support of our shared vision

01:12 for a free and open Indo-Pacific."

01:16 In recent months, China has had several run-ins

01:18 with Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.

01:21 Over the weekend, the Philippine Coast Guard

01:23 shared this video it says shows hundreds

01:25 of Chinese maritime militia vessels

01:27 gathering near a reef within Manila's

01:30 exclusive economic zone.

01:31 A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Monday

01:34 called the Chinese vessels' behavior, quote,

01:35 "responsible and lawful," and castigated the Philippines

01:39 for what it said were, quote, "irresponsible remarks."

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Transcript

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