BEIJING – China’s military closely monitored and “drove away” United States Ship (USS) Halsey that entered the territorial waters of Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on Friday, the Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army said.

This handout pictures courtesy of the US Navy taken on Wednesday shows the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) conducting routine underway operations while transiting through the Taiwan Strait.

The United States move “seriously infringed on China’s sovereignty and security,” the military said in a statement on Friday.

“It is yet another iron proof of its navigation hegemony and militarisation of the South China Sea,” it said, adding its troops would stay on high alert and safeguard national security.

The US Navy said in a statement the destroyer asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands “consistent with international law.”

The USS Halsey exited the area after its operation in the South China Sea and continued, the statement said.

The latest dispute between China and the US came amid heightened tensions in the strategic South China Sea, with US ally the Philippines embroiled in a bitter diplomatic row with Beijing over disputed waters in the region.

China claims large swaths of the South China Sea, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 ruled that Beijing’s claims had no basis under international law.