U.S. and China dispute over South China Sea naval encounter.

The US Navy has rejected China's claim that a US warship illegally entered Chinese waters in the disputed South China Sea. China's military said that the USS Milius had "illegally intruded into China's Xisha territorial waters without the approval of the Chinese government." However, the US military disputed the Chinese statement, saying that the USS Milius was conducting routine operations in the South China Sea and was not expelled. The Xisha Islands, also known as the Paracel Islands, are a disputed archipelago of reefs and coral islands in the South China Sea.