China decries Navy vessel near islands

BEIJING — China on Wednesday protested the sailing of a U.S. Navy ship near territory it claims in the South China Sea, saying it would continue to take measures to protect Beijing’s interests in the vital waterway claimed by several nations.

A U.S. official said the destroyer USS Chafee sailed near the Paracel Islands on Tuesday, going within 16 nautical miles of land. The Navy does not announce such missions in advance, and the official spoke on condition of anonymity.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying denounced the mission as dangerous and a violation of China’s sovereignty.

China claims the South China Sea and its islands virtually in their entirety, and its military expelled Vietnamese forces from the Paracels in 1974. The U.S. does not take an official position on sovereignty claims, but the Navy regularly sails through the area to assert freedom of navigation.