<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">The Chinese military said it had tracked a US warship in the South China Sea on Thursday and "warned it to leave" waters claimed by Beijing.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea -- a strategic waterway through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually -- despite an international court ruling that the assertion has no legal basis.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have overlapping claims in the sea, while the United States sends naval vessels through it to assert freedom of navigation in international waters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Southern Theater Command of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) said the USS Milius, a guided missile destroyer, on Thursday entered waters around the Paracel Islands, which are also claimed by Vietnam.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The PLA "organised sea and air forces to track and monitor (the ship) in accordance with the law" and "warned it to leave", spokesperson Tian Junli said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The vessel "made an illegal incursion into Chinese territorial waters... without permission from the Chinese government, harming peace and stability" in the region, he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There was no immediate response from the United States.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While asserting their claims in the South China Sea, Chinese authorities in recent years have built artificial islands including some with military facilities and runways.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Regional nations have also accused Chinese vessels of harassing their fishing boats. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>