US dismisses China objections to South China Sea mission

BEIJING (AP) — The U.S. Navy has dismissed Beijing’s protests over a “freedom of navigation operation” conducted near a Chinese-held island in the South China Sea. The Navy’s 7th Fleet issued a rebuttal to China’s objections to Tuesday’s mission that included the guided missile cruiser USS Chancelorsville sailing past a Chinese-controlled island. China called the action illegal and an infringement on its sovereignty and security and said it drove off the ship. The U.S. Navy says China has engaged in actions to misrepresent lawful U.S. maritime operations and assert its excessive and illegitimate maritime claims” in the South China Sea. China claims the area virtually in its entirety and has refused its smaller neighbors’ claims to the same islands.