The US military's actions are a serious violation of China's sovereignty and security, and irrefutable proof of its hegemony in navigation and militarization of the South China Sea, Tian Junli, a spokesperson of the PLA Southern Theater Command, said on Tuesday, noting that such behavior fully reveals that the US is the provocateur against peace in the region.

China holds indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters, and the PLA Southern Theater Command maintains a high state of readiness at all times to resolutely defend the country's sovereignty, security and peace and stability in the South China Sea region.

It is the first case of a US warship trespassing into waters of China's territory since leaders of the two sides met in Bali, Indonesia in November. Experts said that the move suggests that China-US rivalry in the South China Sea will be a long-term phenomenon, and the US won't stop its provocations against China's sovereignty.

"On the South China Sea issue, China and the US have great divergences, and both sides need to work on strengthening control to avoid the issue moving from friction to conflict. If there is a conflict, it will have a huge impact on the political and public opinion environments in both countries, which may lead to a more profound confrontation between the two sides," Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Rejecting China's claims, the US Navy said that the USS Chancellorsville "conducted this FONOP (Freedom of Navigation Operation) in accordance with international law and then continued on to conduct normal operations in waters where high seas freedoms apply," the Navy's spokesperson said in a statement, media reported.

A road map released by the PLA Southern Theater Command shows the USS Chancellorsville made a sharp turn near the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea and deliberately rushed around. Photo: Courtesy of PLA Southern Theater Command

In a group of photos published on Tuesday by the PLA Southern Theater Command, which observers said is the first time such detailed information was released, the USS Chancellorsville is seen making a sharp turn near the islands and deliberately rushing around.

The route of the USS Chancellorsville's incursion has revealed the most sound and true situation of the scene, which makes neighboring countries and the international community see the dangerous and provocative actions taken by the US, a military commentator told the Global Times on condition of anonymity.

With a service time of more than 30 years, the USS Chancellorsville is expected to be decommissioned soon. Using such an old and dilapidated ship to intrude into sensitive areas is US' trick to stir up trouble, the expert said, while the Chinese navy's swift and legitimate reaction reflected a precise and efficient ability to defend the country's maritime rights.

Only a week ago on November 22, Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe held talks with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Cambodia, a sign that observers believed suggested the resumption of more channels of communication between the militaries of both sides.

However, Li said that while the US has an intention to maintain communications with the PLA, it will not abandon its inherent claims, much less change course and achieve peaceful coexistence with China in the true sense.

"All along, the US has been using the South China Sea issue as an excuse to deliberately stir up instability in the region. By constantly making trouble, it hopes to get countries within the region to jointly contain China's development," the expert said.

For the US to truly respect us, the most efficient way is to strengthen our own military strength, he added.