China Tells US to Stop

China Tells US to Stop 'Illegal' Naval Activities

China told the United States on Tuesday to stop what it called illegal activities in the South China Sea, as it rejected Pentagon assertions that Chinese vessels harassed a US Navy ship there.
  
Foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said US complaints that five Chinese ships had harassed a US Navy ship in the South China Sea were "totally inaccurate." "The US Navy ship Impeccable broke international law and Chinese laws and regulations," Ma told reporters.
  
"China has made solemn representations to the United States requesting that the US immediately stop these activities and take effective measures to avoid similar activities in the future." The United States has vowed to keep operating in international waters after Sunday's incident and said it had formally protested to Beijing and to the defense attaché in Washington.
  
The Pentagon said the incident saw Chinese boats move directly in front of the Impeccable, forcing it to take emergency action to avoid a collision, and then dropped pieces of wood into its path. However, Ma rejected that account. "The US claim is totally inaccurate, confuses right and wrong, and is absolutely unacceptable to China," he said.