US to press patrols in disputed sea, China warns ‘meddlers’

MANILA: An official says the US Navy will continue patrolling the disputed South China Sea after a Chinese destroyer came dangerously close to one of its ships during a “freedom of navigation” sail-by near a contested reef.
Admiral John Richardson, who heads US naval operations, said in a news conference with Philippine military officials in Manila on Monday that such patrols highlight the US position against “illegitimate maritime claims.”
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a separate news conference that some “non-regional countries” are stirring up trouble in the disputed waters and “have been showing off their force.”
Wang said China and Southeast Asian nations should guard against foreign interference, in a reference to repeated Chinese allegations of US meddling in an Asian territorial dispute.