China condemned on Monday the illegal intrusion of a US warship into waters it says in the South China Sea, after the US Navy said its guided-missile destroyer the USS Milius had sailed through the area.

Earlier, the US Navy said in a statement that “this freedom of navigation operation upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea,” stressing that the ship passed near the Spratly Islands.

“Missile destroyer USS Milius illegally intruded into the waters adjacent to the Meiji Reef in China’s Nansha Islands without the approval of the Chinese government,” Tian Junli, spokesperson for the Chinese military’s Southern Theatre Command, said in a statement, adding Beijing’s air force “followed and carried out surveillance of the vessel.”

Concurrently, Beijing said fighter jets carrying “live ammunition” had conducted “simulated strikes” near Taiwan and that its Shandong aircraft carrier was involved in the ongoing drills.

This is happening as Beijing’s war drills entered their third day.

Source: Websites