China expels US Navy destroyer from disputed waters in South China Sea 22 Dec, 2020 07:23 PM 4 minutes to read By: Nicola Smith China claims its military has expelled a US Navy destroyer after it trespassed into Chinese territorial waters close to the Spratly Islands, in a fresh escalation of tensions between Washington and Beijing over the South China Sea. Today s statement by Senior Colonel Tian Junli, spokesman for the People s Liberation Southern Command, came shortly after the US Navy announced the USS John S McCain had asserted its navigational rights and freedoms in the disputed seas near the islands, consistent with international law .