China Opposes "Threatening And Damaging" US Carrier Patrols In South China Sea

One day after the US announced it had dispatched the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group in the contested South Chine Sea on "routine" patrols (through a post on the aircraft carrier's Facebook page), China responded and predictably, it wasn't thrilled. In a statement by the foreign ministry, Beijing said on Tuesday that it opposed action by other countries "under the pretext of freedom of navigation" that could "threaten and damage" its sovereignty, a clear reference to US patrols in territory that China considers its own.