China Says US Navy Ship ‘Seriously Violated’ Its Sovereignty

(Bloomberg) -- China criticized the US after an American warship sailed in disputed waters in the South China Sea, underscoring lingering military tensions between the nations. Most Read from BloombergThe appearance of the USS Gabrielle Giffords near the Second Thomas Shoal on Monday “seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security,” according to a statement from the Chinese military. The littoral combat ship “undermined regional peace and stability,” the military added, “demonstrating that the US is the biggest threat to peace and stability” in the region. The continued lack of communication raises the risk that an accident in the South China Sea could spiral into a conflict. The Second Thomas Shoal is the site of recent tense encounters between Chinese and Philippine vessels over a World War II-era ship that Manila placed in the shoal more than two decades ago.