China has accused the United States of undermining stability in the South China Sea after a US Navy ship sailed near the disputed Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands, the South China Morning Post reports.
Yin Gang, a navy spokesman for the PLA's Southern Theatre Command, said the USS Charleston entered the waters around the shoal without permission early on Tuesday and was monitored and followed by Chinese forces. He repeated Beijing's claim to sovereignty over the Spratlys and demanded that Washington stop such operations.
The shoal, which lies in an area where several countries have competing claims, was the scene of a clash between Chinese and Philippine coastguard vessels last month. The report did not include a US response, and Beijing did not say how long the warship stayed.
Source: South China Morning Post
