China’s Navy chief had warned his US counterpart encounters between their forces could spiral into conflict, state media reported on Friday, two days after a US destroyer sailed close to Beijing’s artificial islands in the South China Sea. The comments by Adm. Wu Shengli, who commands the Chinese Navy, were made in a video call with US Adm. John Richardson that lasted about an hour, Beijing’s official Xinhua news agency said. They came after the guided missile destroyer USS Lassen sailed within 21 kilometers (12 nautical miles) of Zamora Reef (international name: Subi Reef), a Philippine-claimed reef in the Spratly archipelago that China has taken over and developed into an artificial island.

Sea encounters could lead to war, China warns US. (2015, October 31). Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A17.