China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the vessel "illegally entered into the waters of China's Spratly Islands."
"The
action taken by the U.S. warship has threatened China's sovereignty and
security interest, and has put the safety of personnel on the reefs in
danger," the ministry said.
A U.S. defense official told CNN that the destroyer USS Lassen "conducted a transit" within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef in the Spratly Islands on Tuesday morning local time.
The
operation put the ship within an area that would be considered Chinese
sovereign territory if the U.S. recognized the man-made islands as being
Chinese territory, the official added.
Rival claims
The South China Sea is the subject of numerous rival
and often messy territorial claims, with China, Brunei, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam disputing sovereignty of several island
chains and nearby waters.
In
little more than 18 months, China has reclaimed more than 2,000 acres at
three main locations in the Spratly Islands -- Subi, Mischief and Fiery
Cross reefs, where it's building airstrips thought to be capable of handling bombers.
China's
Foreign Ministry reiterated that its activity in the South China Sea
didn't affect freedom of navigation by sea or air but said it held
"indisputable sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and its nearby
waters."
"China is resolutely opposed
to any country damaging China's sovereignty and security interest in the
name of freedom of navigation and overflight," it said.
In May, a U.S. surveillance plane carrying a CNN crew swooped over the Spratly Islands, triggering eight warnings from the Chinese navy to back off.
Chinese navy ships entered U.S. territorial waters off Alaska in September, coming within 12 miles of the coastline during President Barack Obama's visit to the state, U.S. officials told CNN at the time.
The officials emphasized that China's actions were consistent with "innocent passage" under international maritime law.
Source: CNN
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