Xisha Islands File Photo:Xinhua

The guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey illegally trespassed into the territorial waters of China's Xisha Islands without the Chinese government's permission on Friday, and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command organized naval and air forces to track, monitor and warn it off in accordance with the law and regulations, said Air Force Senior Colonel Tian Junli, spokesperson for the PLA Southern Theater Command, in a written statement on Friday.

The actions taken by the US have seriously violated China's sovereignty and security, serving as another irrefutable evidence of the US' pursuit of "navigation hegemony" and creation of "militarization of the South China Sea," Tian said, noting that this fully demonstrates that the US is the "security risk maker in the South China Sea" and the "biggest destroyer" of peace and stability in the region.

The Southern Theater Command will always stay on high alert, resolutely defending national sovereignty, security, and the peace and stability in the South China Sea, Tian added.

On Wednesday, the US guided missile destroyer USS Halsey sailed through the Taiwan Straits and publicly hyped its actions.

In response, Li Xi, spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command said in a statement on the same day that the theater command organized naval and air forces to monitor and exercise vigilance throughout the entire passage of the US vessel and handled the situation in accordance with the law and regulations.

The forces of the theater command maintain a high level of alertness at all times, resolutely defending national sovereignty, security, and regional peace and stability, Li said.

Global Times