March 27, 2023: On Friday, China’s defence ministry said that it again had to monitor and drive with the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Milius that comes to its territorial waters in the South China Sea, closer to the Paracel Islands.

“We sternly demand the U.S. to stop such provocative acts immediately. Otherwise, it will bear the severe consequences of unforeseen problems,” a spokesperson said in a Ministry of National Defense statement.

The U.S. Navy stated that the guided-missile destroyer was asserting its navigational rights and freedoms.

“Unlawful and gets away with maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas, which include the freedoms of directions and overflight, free trade and unimpeded commerce, and freedom of economic chances for South China Sea littoral nations,” the U.S. Navy Seventh fleet stated in an emailed note.

U.S. forces operate in the South China Sea daily, the U.S. Navy said.

It was the next straight day of a stand-off between the two superpowers amid growing issues in the South China Sea.

China is claiming the vast swathes of the area that overlap with exclusive economic zones of different countries, including the Philippines—trillions of dollars in trade flow annually through the waterway.