China military: US combat ship 'illegally' entered waters near Ayungin Shoal

BEIJING — China's military on Monday said a US combat ship illegally entered waters adjacent to the Second Thomas Shoal or Ayungin Shoal in the South China Sea.

"The US seriously undermined regional peace and stability," said a spokesperson for China's Southern Theater of Operations in a statement.

The spokesperson also said the US deliberately disrupted the South China Sea and seriously violated China's sovereignty.

The spokesperson said the Chinese People's Liberation Army organized maritime troops to follow and monitor the US ship., and that "its troops in the theater are on high alert at all times to resolutely defend national sovereignty."

According to the Chinese military, the US ship moved into waters adjacent to what China calls the Renai Reef, also known as Second Thomas Shoal, a part of the Spratly Islands.

For its part, the US Navy said the USS Gabrielle Giffords, an Independence-class littoral combat ship, was conducting routine operations in international waters in the South China Sea, consistent with international law.

"Every day the US 7th Fleet operates in the South China Sea, as they have for decades," the US Navy said in a statement. "These operations demonstrate we are committed to upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific region."

"We will not be deterred from continuing to work alongside our allies and partners in support of our shared vision for a free and open Indo-pacific," the US Navy responded.

South China Sea dispute

China is in dispute with several of its neighbors over its extensive claims of territorial waters in the South China Sea.

In recent months it has had several confrontations with Philippine vessels, and also protested about US ships patrolling the disputed areas.

The Philippines maintains a small navy personnel on BRP Sierra Madre to guard Ayungin Shoal, which is located 105.77 nautical miles from the nearest Philippine province of Palawan and constitutes part of the country's 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf as provided under a United Nations convention.

BRP was deliberately grounded in 1999 and has since become a symbol of Philippine sovereignty in the offshore territory.

On Sunday, the Philippine Coast Guard deployed two of its vessels in the South China Sea after monitoring an "alarming" increase in the number of Chinese maritime militia vessels at a reef within the country's exclusive economic zone. — Reuters with GMA Integrated News