USS Benfold enters South China Sea; Beijing slams Taiwan provocation by U.S.

• China has now claimed that in a fresh provocation over Taiwan, the United States sent USS Benfold in the South China Sea. China alleged that the incident took place a day after U.S. P-8A anti-submarine aircraft flew over the Taiwan Straits on Friday. As per Global Times, the USS Benfold destroyer entered the South China Sea through the Verde Island Passage in the Philippines on Saturday. The report quoted the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, a Beijing-based think tank, which cited open ship tracking data. The report added, "Recent U.S. military activities in the region attracted attention from media particularly because Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin made clear earlier this month that there is no such thing as international waters on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and that China has sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the Taiwan Straits." Watch this video for more information.