Overview

• China's military claims it drove away the US destroyer USS Hopper from disputed waters in the South China Sea, accusing the US of being a 'security risk creator'.
• The US insists the USS Hopper was on a routine freedom of navigation patrol, asserting navigational rights consistent with international law.
• China lays claim to nearly the entire South China Sea, a claim that was ruled as having no legal basis by The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016.
• The Philippines and Australia have begun their first joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea, days after China accused Manila of enlisting foreign forces for patrols.
• The incident marks the first confrontation since Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden reported progress on some issues straining ties between the global rivals.