OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 8:05 AM PT — Wednesday, April 22, 2020
The U.S. Navy has deployed two warships to the South China Sea amid elevated tensions between China and Vietnam.On Tuesday, Navy officials said the USS America and USS Bunker Hill sailed near a Chinese scout ship in disputed waters amid Beijing’s push to increase influence in the area.
This happened after China allocated additional forces to the South China Sea, while the coronavirus has continued to ravage its neighboring countries.
Vietnam has filed a complaint with the United Nations claiming China is violating its sovereignty and territorial integrity. In a later statement, Beijing criticized both the U.S. and Vietnam.
“The Paracel and Spratly Islands are
China’s inherent territory. China also has historic rights in the South
China Sea. I want to stress that, any attempt of any form to deny
China’s sovereignty and interests in the South China Sea, and enforce
illegal claims will be invalid and doomed to fail.”
— Geng Shuang, spokesperson – Chinese Foreign Ministry
The U.S. Navy also said its two warships are monitoring the area of a recent military standoff between China and Malaysia.
