In a statement issued on Monday, July 3, the official spokesman of the defense ministry of the People's Republic of China, Wu Qian, said that the Ministry of Defense of China expressed a strong protest over the passage of the destroyer of the US Navy through the water area near the Sischa archipelago (Paracel Islands) in the South China Sea (CMC) China considers its territorial waters. About it.

He noted: "The US direction of the destroyer for unauthorized intrusion into the territorial waters of China is a provocation and a serious illegal act. The Ministry of Defense of China expresses a strong protest in this regard ". The statement says: "At present, with the joint efforts of the states of the region, the situation in the South China Sea has improved. As they say, the tree wants peace, but the wind does not stop, so the US consciously commit unlawful actions, despite all previous educational measures, once again sending a warship to invade the territorial waters of China ".

The report says: "Such actions seriously damage the strategic trust between the two countries, harm the political situation for the development of relations between the armed forces of the two states, seriously threaten the security of the advanced Chinese and American soldiers and officers, and also seriously damage peace and stability in the country. Region ".

According to the representative of the defense department, China sent two rocket frigates Luoyang and Suqian, a mine sweeper Taishan and two J-11B fighters (Jian-11-bi) to escort and deport the US destroyer from the water area..

On Sunday, July 2, it became known that the US 12-nautical missile destroyer approached the island of Zhongjia-doao (Triton) of the disputed Sischa archipelago. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC called such actions "a serious military and political provocation".