Beijing said Wednesday its military drove away a US destroyer that sailed near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.

China said the ship illegally entered its territorial waters, according to Reuters. The People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theater Command (PLA) said the incident seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security.

“The PLA’s Southern Theater Command organized sea and air forces to follow, monitor, warn and drive away” the ship. The military also showed pictures of the USS Benfold taken from the deck of the Chinese frigate the Xianning.

“The facts once again show that the United States is nothing short of a ‘security risk maker in the South China Sea’ and a ‘destroyer of regional peace and stability,” the Chinese statement said.

The US Navy in response said that the USS Benfold “asserted navigational rights and freedoms” in accordance with international law.

“Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas, including the freedoms of navigation and overflight, free trade and unimpeded commerce, and freedom of economic opportunity for South China Sea littoral nations,” the Navy’s statement was quoted as saying.

Source: Agencies