BEIJING – China’s military closely monitored and “drove away” the destroyer USS Halsey which had entered the territorial waters of Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on May 10, according to the People’s Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command.

The US move “seriously infringed on China’s sovereignty and security”, it said.

“It is yet another iron proof of its navigation hegemony and militarisation of the South China Sea,” it said, adding that its troops would stay on high alert and safeguard national security.

The US Navy said in a statement the destroyer asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands “consistent with international law”.

The USS Halsey exited the area after its operation and continued on in the South China Sea, the statement said.

The latest dispute between China and the United States came amid heightened tensions in the strategic South China Sea, with American ally the Philippines embroiled in a bitter diplomatic row with Beijing over disputed waters in the region.

China claims large swathes of the South China Sea, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 ruled that Beijing’s claims had no basis under international law. REUTERS