The Chinese military said it warned a US warship to “leave” waters in the disputed South China Sea yesterday, claims swiftly denied as “false” by American forces. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea – a strategic waterway through which trillions of dollars in trade pass annually – despite an international court ruling that the assertion has no legal basis. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have overlapping claims in the sea, while the United States sends naval vessels through it to assert freedom of navigation in international waters.

China: US warship illegally entered S. China Sea. (2023, March 24). The Philippine Star, p. 15.