The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) said Wednesday it had expelled a U.S. guided-missile destroyer that trespassed in China's territorial waters near the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea.
PLA Southern Theater Command spokesperson Tian Junli said the U.S. military's act had seriously undermined China's sovereignty and security interests.
The theater command will "remain on high alert and resolutely safeguard the national sovereignty and security, as well as peace and stability in the region," Tian said in a statement.