Beijing monitoring US warship near disputed shoal in South China Sea

China on Tuesday accused the U.S. military of “illegally” entering waters around a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, saying it had sent its own forces to watch a Navy ship. 

China has claimed roughly 90 percent of the South China Sea as its own territory, leading to disputes with the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and other Indo-Pacific nations. 

To demonstrate the vital shipping and economic corridor is not under Beijing’s sole control, the U.S. has sailed its warships through the area in so-called “freedom of navigation operations.” The last such known mission in the South China Sea took place more than a year ago. 

But the Chinese military asserted that in the early hours of Tuesday, the USS Charleston littoral combat ship “illegally intruded” into waters........

© The Hill