The US Navy stated that the USS Halsey, a destroyer, was exercising navigational rights near the Paracel Islands. This archipelago is situated in the South China Sea, a region disputed by multiple countries.

China's military issued a warning to a US Navy destroyer in the contested South China Sea on Friday. The USS Halsey was sailing near the Paracel Islands during the incident. According to a spokesperson for China's military, they deployed naval and air forces to track and monitor the ship, eventually issuing a warning to steer it away. China denounced the US actions as a violation of its sovereignty and security.

The People's Liberation Army criticized Washington, labeling it as the "creator of security risks" and citing the incident as evidence of US navigation hegemony and the militarization of the South China Sea. The US Navy affirmed that the USS Halsey was asserting navigational rights and freedoms in the area. They stated that after the operation, the ship left the disputed area and continued its activities in the South China Sea.

The US Navy also expressed concerns about unlawful maritime claims in the region, emphasizing the threat they pose to freedom of navigation. China claims significant portions of the South China Sea, which overlaps with claims from several other countries including the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled against China's claims, stating they had no legal basis under international law.

This incident follows escalating maritime tensions between China and the Philippines, which has close ties with the US. On the same day, the Philippines' national security adviser called for the expulsion of Chinese diplomats over an alleged leak of a phone conversation with a Filipino admiral. The adviser accused China's embassy in Manila of spreading misinformation, while China's Foreign Ministry countered by accusing the Philippines of denying the facts.