"We urge the United States to immediately stop such provocative actions," the Southern Theatre Command said in a statement.
Beijing: The Chinese military on Monday "drove away" an American warship that had illegally entered China's waters near the Paracel Islands on Monday, a reminder by the International Court of Justice that Beijing has no claim on the South China Sea.
The USS Benfold flooded Paracels without the permission of the Chinese government, severely violated Chinese sovereignty and disrupted the stability of the South China Sea, the South Theater Army's Southern Theater Command said.
"We urge the United States to immediately stop such acts," the Southern Theater Command said in a statement.
The US Navy did not immediately comment on the statements.(ads2)
Paracels are among the hundreds of islands, rocks and islands of the rich sea of resources opposed by China, Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, Beijing is seeking historical rights to its resources on its nine-dash line, or most of the region.
On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China does not have a historic title for the South China Sea. It also alleged that China had violated the Philippine traditional fishing rights in the Scarborough Shoal and violated the Philippine rights by independent exploration of oil and gas near Reed Bank.
In a statement issued on Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said maritime freedom was "permanent" for all nations.
"Nowhere is the maritime order based on rules more threatened than in the South China Sea," Blinken said.
"The People's Republic of China continues to coerce and intimidate the Southeast Asian provinces, threatening the freedom of movement in this critical global environment."
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