File photo shows the Jinqing Island of Yongle Islands, located in the Xisha Islands, in south China's Hainan province. (GUO CHENG/XINHUA)

BEIJING - The United States should stop making waves and sowing discord in the South China Sea and play a constructive role in maintaining regional peace and stability, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday.

The United States has become the saboteur and troublemaker of peace and stability in the South China Sea, and the international community bears witness to these all, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said 

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the comments at a daily news briefing in response to a question about US Department of Defense claims Thursday that China launched a ballistic missile test in the South China Sea on the morning of Aug 26, threatening regional peace and security.

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Relevant training activities near the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea are routine arrangements conducted by the Chinese military off China's coast. They are not targeted at any country and have nothing to do with the South China Sea disputes, said Zhao.

"The relevant accusations are groundless and unjustified," he said.

Zhao said that, over a period of time, the United States has frequently dispatched in large numbers advanced warships, fighter jets and reconnaissance aircraft all the way to the South China Sea to project its power and engage in military provocations, undermining China's sovereignty and security interests as well as the normal order of navigation in the South China Sea.

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The United States has become the saboteur and troublemaker of peace and stability in the South China Sea, and the international community bears witness to these all, Zhao said.