“The actions of the US military seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security,” said Tian Junli, spokesman for the Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army.

The ship in question, the USS Chancellorsville guided missile cruiser, had recently sailed through the Taiwan Strait.

There was no immediate comment from the US military.

Tian said the US cruiser’s intrusion showed that the US was a “security risk maker” in the South China Sea and “is further iron-clad proof of its hegemony in the navigation and militarisation of the South China Sea.”

China’s military said its troops would remain on high alert, the Southern Theatre Command said on its WeChat social media account.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea – and it has become one of many flashpoints in the testy relationship between China and the US.

The US rejects what it calls China’s unlawful territorial claims in the resource-rich waters.

US warships have passed through the South China Sea with increasing frequency in recent years, in a show of force against the Chinese claims.