China protests USA 'freedom of navigation'

The U.S has dared China as its USS John S McCain Naval warship passed close to an artificial reef created by China in the South China Sea, prompting a protest from China.

USA navy warship enters China's water. China has territorial disputes with its neighbours over the area.

It was the third "freedom of navigation operation" during Trump's presidency.

But Nicole Schwegman, spokeswoman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said that USA forces operated in the Asia Pacific region on a daily basis.

"The US destroyer's actions have violated Chinese and global laws, as well as severely harmed China's sovereignty and security", the ministry said late on Thursday in a statement on its website.

It comes amid soaring tensions on the Korean Peninsula over Kim Jong-un's missile programme, and as the United States seeks to push China into more assertively restraining North Korea.

China's foreign ministry says a U.S. navy destroyer that carried out a "freedom of navigation operation" in the South China Sea violated global and Chinese law and seriously harmed Beijing's sovereignty and security.

"At the moment the relations between the armed forces of China and the United States show stable development".

Territorial waters are generally defined by global law as extending at most 12 nautical miles from a country's coastline.

"All operations are conducted in accordance with worldwide law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail and operate wherever global law allows".

The U.S. military has a long-standing position that its operations are carried out throughout the world, including in areas claimed by allies, and they are separate from political considerations.

China claims almost all of the sea, through which $5 trillion in annual shipping trade passes and which is believed to sit atop vast oil and gas deposits.

Attracted by the strategic military location and the prospect of oil, China, Taiwan, Brunei, the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam have all laid territorial claim to the Spratly's and have occupied several islands.

"We told them we are a U.S. [ship] conducting routine operations in global waters".

Tensions have risen recently after North Korea carried out two nuclear tests past year and two ICBM tests last month, prompting a strong round of UN sanctions which angered Pyongyang who threatened to teach the United States a "severe lesson". That angered Pyongyang which has threatened to teach the United States a "severe lesson".

Trump this week warned North Korea it faced "fire and fury" if it continued to threaten America.