US warship warned off after entering Chinese waters

The Chinese military sent air and naval forces to monitor and then warn off a United States Navy warship from waters near the Meiji Reef in the South China Sea on Wednesday, according to a People's Liberation Army spokesman.

Senior Colonel Tian Junli, spokesman for the PLA Southern Theater Command, said in a statement that the USS Benfold trespassed in waters near the reef earlier Wednesday without permission from the Chinese government.

The PLA Southern Theater Command mobilized its aircraft and ships to follow and expel the intruding vessel.

Tian said the move seriously infringed on China's sovereignty and security, and is more evidence of the US's attempted "hegemony of navigation" and militarization of the South China Sea.

"The incident has once again showed that the US is genuinely a creator of security risks as well as the biggest saboteur of peace and stability in the South China Sea," he said, adding that China has undeniable sovereignty over certain islands and reefs and their surrounding waters in the South China Sea.

Forces under his command remain on high alert and will safeguard national sovereignty and security, as well as peace and stability in the region, according to the spokesman.