US cruiser 'illegally intruded' near South China Sea's Spratly Islands, says Beijing

In what can escalate tensions between US and China, the latter's military said on Tuesday a US military cruiser "illegally intruded" into waters near the South China Sea's Spratly Islands. It further informed that the cruiser was monitored and then driven away.

"The actions of the U.S. military seriously violated China's sovereignty and security," said Tian Junli, spokesman for the Southern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army.

The USS Chancellorsville is the guided missile cruiser in question here that had recently sailed through the Taiwain Strait. The US military has not commented on the matter.

Tian added that the intrusion by the US cruiser intrusion showed that the United States was a "security risk maker" in the South China Sea. Tian added that it "is another iron-clad proof of its hegemony in the navigation and militarization of the South China Sea".

The Southern Theatre Command said on its WeChat social media account that its military troops will continue to remain on high alert following the illegal entry by the vessel.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea and the region remains a major point of contention between the two countries.

The United States has never accepted China's "unlawful territorial claims" in the resource-rich waters. US warships have passed through the South China Sea with increasing frequency in recent years, in a show of force against the Chinese claims.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE