China media denounce US warship in South China Sea

By BBC News

Editorials in Chinese state media have denounced the presence of a US warship in the South China Sea, and warned that Beijing is prepared to take action.

While urging calm from both sides, media outlets also said the US was "harassing China" and that Beijing is "not frightened to fight a war".
The USS Lassen sailed in the Spratly archipelago on Tuesday as a challenge to China's claim over the islands.
China condemned the move and summoned the US ambassador in a show of protest.
China claims sovereignty over much of the South and East China seas.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen breached the 12-nautical mile zone that China claims around the Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly archipelago.

'Not frightened'

The Global Times - which is owned by the Chinese Communist Party's newspaper People's Daily - published an English-language editorial titled "After the show, it's time for US destroyer to leave".
"We should stay calm. If we feel disgraced and utter some furious words, it will only make the US achieve its goal of irritating us," it said.
It added that Beijing should deal with Washington tactfully and "prepare for the worst".
"This can convince the White House that China, despite its unwillingness, is not frightened to fight a war with the US in the region, and is determined to safeguard its national interests and dignity."
It called on Beijing to track US warships and launch interventions if US vessels stopped in the South China Sea.