China, US trade barbs over passage of destroyer near disputed shoal

China's military said on Aug 13 that it monitored and "drove away" a US destroyer that sailed near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the busy waterway of the South China Sea, while the US Navy said its action was in line with international law.

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BEIJING - China's military said on Aug 13 that it monitored and "drove away" a US destroyer that sailed near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the busy waterway of the South China Sea, while the US Navy said its action was in line with international law.

The first known US military operation in at least six years within the shoal's waters came a day after the Philippines accused Chinese vessels of "dangerous maneuvers and unlawful interference" during a supply mission around the atoll.

In a statement, the Chinese military's Southern Theatre Command said the USS Higgins had entered the waters "without approval of the Chinese government" on Aug 13.