Beijing Says It 'Warned Away' USS Benfold From Paracel Islands, Releases Pictures Of Operation

Beijing has said it "warned away" a U.S. warship after it allegedly trespassed into Chinese waters near Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. China also published photos of the operation for the first time.

USS Benfold's presence near the disputed archipelago came a day after the sixth anniversary of the Hague ruling, which rejected China's nine-dash claim over the South China Sea. Paracel Islands, called Xisha Islands in China, are controlled by Beijing even though Vietnam and Taiwan also claim sovereignty over them.

Senior Colonel Tian Lijun, a spokesperson for People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command, said Wednesday that troops tracked, monitored and warned away the guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold, which "illegally entered Chinese territorial waters of the Xisha Islands without authorization from the Chinese government."

Accusing Washington of "navigational hegemony," Col. Tian said the actions by the U.S. military seriously infringed on China's sovereignty and security, undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea and violated norms of international relations.

According to Chinese state-backed news media Global Times, the PLA released a photo showing the Chinese and U.S. vessels in visual range. A PLA sailor was also seen on board the Chinese Type 054A guided missile frigate Xianning gathering data on USS Benfold.

Another photo released by the PLA shows the close-up shot of USS Benfold, which reportedly had its weapons and a fire-control radar system in default positions. The report, quoting analysts, said the warship was "probably attempting to justify its innocent passage."

However, a statement by the U.S. Seventh Fleet said USS Benfold had been asserting its right to navigate through the waters under international law. It said restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China and other claimants to the islands breached international law.

The U.S. Navy also called China's statement "false and another misrepresentation from Beijing of U.S. sea operations."

"The PRC, Taiwan, and Vietnam each claim sovereignty over the Paracel Islands. In violation of international law, all three claimants require either permission or advance notification before a military vessel or warship engages in 'innocent passage' through the territorial sea. Under international law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention, the ships of all States – including their warships – enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea. The unilateral imposition of any authorization or advance-notification requirement for innocent passage is unlawful," it said in a statement.

Though China has often called USS Benfold a "habitual offender in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Straits," it is for the first time that it is publishing photos of the transgression.

"Photos are proof of the U.S.' provocative trespassing in Chinese territorial waters as well as the PLA's effective measures in countering them. They show how close the U.S. warship was to the PLA vessel, and how the PLA dealt with the threat properly," an unnamed Chinese military expert told the Global Times. He added it showed the PLA's growing confidence in dealing with U.S. provocations.