China sent a surveillance vessel to waters off Hawaii even as the country participated for the first time in the world's largest international naval exercise led by the U.S.
The auxiliary general intelligence ship is outside U.S. territorial seas, yet within the 200-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone, Capt. Darryn James, chief spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said in an e-mailed statement Sunday. The vessel is not associated with the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, or Rimpac, that's now underway, he said.
"U.S. naval forces continually monitor all maritime activity in the Pacific, and we expect this ship will remain outside of U.S. territorial seas and not operate in a manner that disrupts the ongoing Rim of the Pacific maritime exercise," James said.