Chinese military monitors, warns US warship

Chinese military monitored a US warship that entered Chinese territorial waters without permission and warned it to leave on Monday, a spokesman said on Friday.

Navy and Air Force of the People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command will continue to watch closely Chinese waters and air to prevent any incident that may harm China's national security and to safeguard national sovereignty, senior colonel Li Huamin, spokesman of the command, said in a statement.

On Monday, USS Chancellorsville entered the territorial waters off the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea without China's permission. The command, according to relevant laws and regulations, deployed air and navy forces to monitor and verify the ship, and warned it to leave, he said.

The United States should better manage its ships and aircraft to prevent unexpected events, the spokesman said.

The PLA has five theater commands, and the Southern Theater Command oversees military personnel and hardware in six southern provincial-level regions: Guangdong, Hunan, Hainan, Yunnan and Guizhou provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. It also operates the PLA South Sea Fleet, which is responsible for maintaining peace and security in the South China Sea.