US Navy rejects China claim that warship ‘illegally’ entered part of South China Sea

File image of the USS Milius guided-missile destroyer. China said the warship illegally intruded into its territorial waters in the South China Sea. Photograph: Issei Kato/Reuters

The United States has denied Chinese claims that a US destroyer was driven out from waters around the contested Paracel Islands after it “illegally” entered the area in the South China Sea.

In a statement on Thursday, the Chinese military said the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius illegally intruded into China’s territorial waters, without the approval of the government, undermining peace and stability in the busy waterway.