China on Tuesday expressed its "resolute opposition" to a US warship patrol in the South China Sea near Yongshu Reef in the Nansha Islands.

The US warship, USS William P. Lawrence, entered China's waters near the islands on Tuesday without the permission of the Chinese government, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said.

In response, China sent two J-11 jet fighters and a Y-8 early warning aircraft to patrol the area. Three military vessels, including a guided missile destroyer and a missile frigate, identified the US warship and sent it away with a warning, according to Yang Yujun, China's defense ministry spokesperson.

Yang said in a statement on Tuesday that the provocative activities of the US military aircraft and warships have exposed its intention to profit from stirring up the regional situation.

Bill Urban, US Department of Defense spokesman, said the freedom of navigation operation was in direct challenge to "excessive maritime claims of some claimants in the South China Sea," reports said.

"China strongly opposes such actions by the US and will continue to take measures to safeguard our sovereignty and security," Lu said, adding China and other coastal states in the South China Sea have been working together to keep navigation and over-flights free in the South China Sea for a long time. In fact, freedom of navigation and over-flights in the South China Sea have never been a problem.

"It has demonstrated once again that China's construction of defensive facilities on Nansha Islands is completely necessary," Yang said,

Yang added that China will strengthen sea and air patrols as well as defense capability construction to resolutely safeguard the country's sovereignty and security.