The Chinese Defense Ministry announced on Friday that, for the second time in a row, it had to track and drive away the US Navy warship USS Milius, which had entered the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands.

Tian Junli, a spokesperson for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command, confirmed that USS Milius had entered the South China Sea without notifying China.

"The US guided-missile destroyer USS Milius entered the territorial waters of the Chinese Xisha Islands again on March 24 without permission from the Chinese government, thereby undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea," Tan was quoted as saying by the Chinese Defense Ministry on WeChat.

The Chinese spokesperson pointed out that the actions of the US military have become a "gross infringement upon the sovereignty and security of China," as well as a serious violation of international law.

Tan reiterated that the PLA will take all necessary measures to protect the sovereignty and security of the country, as well as to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.

"We sternly demand the U.S. to immediately stop such provocative acts, otherwise it will bear the serious consequences of unforeseen incidents," he underlined.

The US Navy claimed that the guided-missile destroyer was asserting its navigational rights and freedoms.

"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 US Navy 7th fleet insisted in an emailed statement.

The US Navy said US forces operate in the South China Sea on a daily basis.

Read more: China accuses US of 'misleading public' in S. China Sea jet incident

Chinese military tracks US warship in S. China Sea, warns it to leave

On Thursday, the Chinese military confirmed that it had tracked a US warship in the South China Sea and "warned it to leave" Chinese waters.

The Southern Theater Command of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) indicated that the USS Milius, a guided missile destroyer, on Thursday entered waters around the Paracel Islands.

The People's Liberation Army "organised sea and air forces to track and monitor (the ship) in accordance with the law" and "warned it to leave," Spokesperson Tian Junli pointed out.

According to Tian, the vessel "made an illegal incursion into Chinese territorial waters... without permission from the Chinese government, harming peace and stability" in the region.

"The theater forces will maintain a high state of alert at all times and take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security and peace and stability in the South China Sea," the Chinese Spokesperson also affirmed.

On its part, a spokesperson for US Indo-Pacific Command told AFP that the Chinese statement "is false", claiming that the vessel "is conducting routine operations in the South China Sea and was not expelled."

"The United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows," the Spokesperson said.

It is noteworthy that China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea -- a strategic waterway through which trillions of dollars in trade pass annually. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei all have overlapping claims in the sea.

On December 29, 2022, the US Indo-Pacific Command military claimed in a statement that the Chinese J-11 fighter jet had come within six meters of a US RC-135 aircraft, forcing it to carry out a maneuver to evade a collision.

Back then, the Chinese Defense Ministry accused the US of "slander" and "hype", pointing out that the US aircraft violated international law and confronted a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea.

It is noteworthy that in July 2016, following a lawsuit filed by the Philippines, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China had no grounds for territorial claims in the South China Sea.

The court claimed that the disputed territories of the Spratly archipelago are not considered islands in the legal sense, but rather rocks or low-tide elevations which do not form an exclusive economic zone.

However, Beijing has indicated that it does not consider the decision of the court valid and does not recognize it.

Read more: China, Vietnam agree to work on settling South China Sea dispute