China accuses US warship of entering waters near disputed Spratly Islands

China said the US littoral combat ship USS Charleston entered waters near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea without permission and urged Washington to stop such operations.

China accused the US Navy littoral combat ship USS Charleston of entering waters near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea without permission. A spokesperson for the People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command said the ship entered waters around Xianbin Jiao in the Nansha Islands, China's name for the Spratlys, early Tuesday.

The spokesperson said Chinese naval forces tracked and monitored the ship in accordance with laws and regulations, asserted China's sovereignty over the islands and surrounding waters, and said the US operation violated China's rights and endangered maritime security. The spokesperson urged the US to stop such operations and said the military would remain on high alert.

A US Navy littoral combat ship